A Man's Woman
by OnceAround
Summary: The Tendo's have an addition and all the changes it makes to R
1. Here's the Tendo's

A voice rings out, "Mr. Tendo, your mail!"  
  
After sorting through the mail, between stacks of bills and magazines, there is a discovery: a crudely scrawled postcard with markings from across the sea. It read, simply, "Hi. Bringing Ranma from China. Saotome."  
  
On the veranda, in the full sweltering heat of summer, a mustachioed man sheds a single tear over the card. The sky will pour torrential rains soon, but the man focuses solely on the tattered paper in his hands. The panda on the front of the postcard appears supernaturally tranquil in front of the man's stern control of his emotions. Hesitantly, almost daring not to believe, the man raises the card with steady hands and reads it out loud, "Ranma? Coming here?" If it not for the man's iron stoicism, his joyous tears would flow more freely, "Oh how I've waited for this day."  
  
*********  
  
Bill presents:  
  
Ranma ½, A Man's Woman  
  
  
  
Part One: Here's the Tendos  
  
*********  
  
Within the Tendo's Martial Arts School of Indiscriminate Grappling, a voice sounded out, "Hey! Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!" Oddly, there was no response.  
  
"Kasumi!!" The voice demanded again.  
  
"Yes Daddy?" A lovely looking girl asked as she deftly split a series of watermelons in the family kitchen.  
  
"Nabiki!!" The voice called, in search of its wayward charges.  
  
Blithely, the sought after girl paused from her ice pop and martial arts magazine for a moment to inquire, "Mm?"  
  
"Akane!!" The voice did not pause for even a moment. It was close now, but still seeking. "Where IS that girl?"  
  
The girl in question, Akane Tendo, was at the apex of a gravity-defying leap as the voice of her father called out her name for the second time. Oblivious to this, though, thoughts of school and friends filtered past a newly acquired martial technique in her mind, but her footing was strong and sure as she landed lightly upon the top of chain link fence. Sighting her home, Akane's long legs stretched out into their full sprinter's glory and she broke into a dead run along the fence top.  
  
"Hi, I'm ho-o-o-ome!" Akane called as she sailed through the sturdy oak front door of the Tendo household. Hearing no immediate answer, she proceeded directly to the dojo and began to set up. School clothing flew off at lightning speed, only to be replaced by a heavily worn karate gi. The elbows and knees had been patched and repatched after years of use. Cinching the outfit was an ancient blackbelt that, upon closer inspection, appeared to carry the name of the girl's grandfather.  
  
Bending down, the teenage girl secured 17 of 18 heavy concrete blocks into spring-loaded catapults. The last block she strapped to her left knee, placing her body in a precarious stalemate with gravity as she balanced on her unencumbered right. Her right arm was bent at an odd angle behind her back, tucked snugly under her belt. For just a moment she paused to focus her will on the surroundings, taking in the warm brown colors of the worn dojo floor and the coolness of the breeze across her skin as it blew through the open door. Then, almost causally, she pulled a cord overhead. Instantly the tension on the springs was released and all 17 blocks raced directly towards the spot that the girl had occupied seconds before. Akane, though, had already launched herself into the air off of her right leg. A mere fraction of a second later, the room exploded in a riot of concrete dust. The martial artist landed lightly and, with the back of her left hand, wiped the grainy sweat off of her brow.  
  
"Ahhh." She sighed. "That was nice."  
  
A familiar voice interrupted the all-to-temporary peace the youngest daughter had sought, "There you go again, Akane." Nabiki Tendo, the speaker, stood a few yards away from her sister. "No wonder all the boys think you're so weird."  
  
Irritated, Akane cast a glance back over her shoulder, "So why should I care? Not everyone thinks the world revolves around boys."  
  
"No?" Nabiki asked in a slightly mocking tone as she laced her fingers behind her head. "Then I guess this wouldn't interest you."  
  
*********  
  
"Fiancé!?"  
  
"Yes. The son of a very good friend of ours."  
  
"The son's name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him and carry on this training center then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."  
  
"Wait a minute, husband." Kimiko Tendo said, stepping out from the kitchen. She was wiping her hands on her apron, despite the fact that they were plainly clean. To anyone else it might have seemed a small gesture, but the entire family knew it indicated her extreme annoyance. Fixing her husband with a mild scowl, she continued.  
  
"Don't my daughters have any say in who they marry? Why, they've never even met Ranma."  
  
Soun Tendo smiled kindly at his wife's concern for her children. Inwardly, though, her cursed mildly. It had become clear that in such a battle, it was best to stall one's opponents until such time as a suitable plan could be found. Momentarily, Soun Tendo was lost in the memory of the development of the Saotome Secrete Technique. Ah well, for now it was best to placate all four women at once. His wife might appear mild mannered, but he had married a woman who had enough iron in her spine to match his own.  
  
"That's easily fixed." Soun said, grinning broadly.  
  
*********  
  
At the same time, only a few blocks away, a strange scene played itself out. A small redheaded girl, who's Chinese style clothing were soaked through and through, dashed at top speed away from a curious pursuer. Behind the cherub-like prey followed an equally speedy, albeit gigantic, panda. For most of the pedestrians on that rain soaked day, the unlikely pair raced by too fast for any reliable sighting, but a few managed to catch the final showdown.  
  
The girl, displaying phenomenal agility and strength, leapt into the air and out of the grasping [pun] bear hug of the Panda. "Yo! Cut that-" She bellowed, flinging her rucksack a safe distance. "Out!" Red finished, punctuating her order with a crushing sidekick. The panda, despite his enormous bulk, slid all the way across the rain soaked street.  
  
Standing, the beast wiped it jowls with the back of its paw. It spat out the drop of blood the kick had drawn. This fight was going to be serious and here was one large land mammal that fully intended to see it through to its conclusion.  
  
"Say -- is that a panda?" The owner of a local noodle cart called out.  
  
"That is a panda, isn't it?" Another man asked his friend.  
  
The girl, sensing the same-self panda's deep determination, stood her ground. "Your move."  
  
Responding to the taunt, the animal blurred forward. Its lighting paws flashed in and out, seeking an opening. The girl, though, was untouchable. She bobbed and weaved around the darting claws of her furry opponent.  
  
"Well I still say this whole thing sucks." The girl shouted as she dodged another blow. And there it was. The Panda had over extended itself. Turning sharply, Red capitalized on the minute mistake and grabbed hold of the thick forepaw. "Picking my fiancée for me." As she shifted her weight, the bamboo eater was hoisted off his feet and sent crashing into a street sign. ".Without even asking!!"  
  
The girl stood panting for a moment. It would be all to easy to beat the furry fluff out of her downed opponent, but she had more important business to attend to.  
  
"I'm going back to China." Red said, flipping her single braid. "Suck on that old man!"  
  
The rain had ceased and it was time to be on her way. The girl collected her bag and shoes from the place they had been discarded during the fight. The whole while she studiously ignored the oversize mound of flab and fur she had just defeated. There would be time enough to deal with him fully when she returned.  
  
*klong*  
  
The panda's plan had worked perfectly. To be more specific, the plan he had come up with after having his fuzzy behind handed to him had worked perfectly. Hefting his small charge, he congratulated himself that all that remained was to take the rebellious youngster and finish the last leg of their journey. That, and to scare off the all too curious onlookers.  
  
"Grrr" "Owrr"  
  
*********  
  
Back at the Tendo School of Martial Arts School of Indiscriminant Grappling a very informative conversation was taking place.  
  
"Ranma and his father have been on a voyage of training. Recently, it seems, they crossed into China."  
  
"Wow! China!" The middle daughter said, leaning her elbows onto the table.  
  
"Did he swim, like we did Daddy?" Akane asked. Perhaps this fiancée thing wouldn't be a total loss if the guy knew his way around a dojo. And he kept his hands to himself, she amended.  
  
"Is he cute?" Nabiki asked. It was perhaps the most important question. This was surely the act of a misogynistic patriarchy, Nabiki thought sourly, but still, she knew where her priorities lay. Well traveled or not, boyfriends needed to be cute. Even better if they were hot.  
  
"You know I'm fairly serious about Kenshiro, Mother. I can't give up my boyfriend just because daddy says I have a fiancée."  
  
Turning from her eldest daughter's complaint, Kimiko spoke. "What sort of man is this Ranma?" She asked her husband, cutting right to the topic.  
  
Soun was brought up short. Direct and incisive: This was exactly the sort of question he should have expected from his wife. It was no wonder that his daughters were all excellent martial strategists. Soun cleared his throat as a plan came to mind. As his wife had just shown, there were times when frankness was an asset. Soun prayed that this was one of those times.  
  
"No idea."  
  
Nabiki slammed her hands on the table in an act of open outrage. "No idea?"  
  
"I've never met him."  
  
"Leggo ya old fool!" A high-pitched voice called out, interrupting a potentially volatile situation. The cry was immediately followed by sounds of a struggle at the front gate. Soun, sensing an opportunity to remove himself from the site of any forthcoming verbal abuse, went to see about the visitors. Nabiki, not dissuaded by her father's retreat, followed along. She wondered out loud if this could perhaps be the fabled Ranma she had heard so little about.  
  
The three remaining women stayed seated at the table. There was little to say for the first few moments. It was clear that the husband of one and the father of two had gone completely off his gourd. Saying so, however, did something to alleviate the tension and Kimiko commended her eldest daughter on the astute observation.  
  
"I don't know, Momma. If Ranma's father is anything like daddy, then I bet he's just as freaked out as we are." Akane said.  
  
"I'm sure he is daughter." Kimiko sighed and sipped some tea she prepared. "Do you both remember Mrs. Saotome? You met her at the Spring Festival last year? Well, she and I are old friends and we have tea together occasionally. Her husband, who used to train with you father, had taken their son on a ten-year training trip. I'm sure Ranma is a fine young man, but I can't imagine what his father has done to him. We'll just have to sit down and sort this out."  
  
Akane sat stunned, her own tea forgotten. Ten years? It was almost incomprehensible for her that this boy could have been away from his home for so long. Her father had taken all his girls on training trips since before she could remember, but never more than a few months and then only when school was out. It must have been horrible for Ranma to be without his mother for so long. Not to mention all the time he must have spent moving from town to town, never staying in any one place long enough to get to know anyone. The life of a martial artist was fraught with perils, her father had told her. On the other hand, her mother had said that the greatest strength came from one's family. Seated at the table, Akane steeled her resolve. Boy or not, Ranma was going to need a friend when he arrived.  
  
The hurried return of her father and sister broke Akane out of her determined reverie. Both Tendo's were running at top speed to escape what appeared to be a giant panda. Upon closer examination, it was revealed to be a giant panda with a small body flung over its shoulder. The person in question sat up and yelled at, of all things, the panda.  
  
"Hey! Yo! You're scarring 'em spitless!"  
  
"Daddy, is that your friend?" Kasumi asked warily.  
  
Soun violently shook his head. This day was not going anything like what he had planned. There must be a way to salvage it from this intrusion. He just needed a moment to focus.  
  
"Oh. So this panda just decides to visit! Happens all the time!" Nabiki quipped.  
  
"Girls just calm down. We don't want to scare this animal any more than it already is." Kimiko said in a soothing voice, while placing herself between her girls and the bear. She hoped her words placated the panda bear as much as her own daughters.  
  
The same-self panda choose that moment to set the girl down directly in front of Soun. For a moment, the two stood stock-still and simply stared at one another. Neither one knew the other, but in that instant they both recognized the same look of resigned confusions on the other's face. Then, simultaneously, both came to the same conclusion: It was going to be a long day.  
  
Identification of the panda-borne person came almost immediately to Kimiko Tendo. The girl, for that was plainly what gender she was, who stood in front of them, was nearly the spitting image of Nodoka Saotome in her school days. Stepping in front of her weary looking husband, Kimiko bowed.  
  
"I am very pleased to meet you, Saotome-san."  
  
Soun's jaw worked up and down a few times before he regained the power of speech. "You.you aren't.?"  
  
The girl looked away, eyes down cast. "Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."  
  
At that moment, Soun Tendo became deeply embarrassed by his lack of etiquette. Despite the previous troubles of the day and the fact that Ranma Saotome was so obviously not a boy, not to mention the continued presence of a giant panda, he had not acted in a manner befitting a true martial artist. Well, girl or no girl, the child of his best friend deserved more of a reception than she had received. Before his daughters could begin the interrogation they so plainly wanted to conduct, Soun bowed low as his wife had just done.  
  
"I am extraordinarily glad to meet you Saotome-san. Please come in. Kimiko, would you fix some more tea for our visitor? Girls, please show this young lady to the dojo." Soun said, hoping to have a chance to speak with his wife in private. This was a situation that would require the utmost care. "Please remember that she is our guest." He added warningly.  
  
Nabiki and Kasumi hung back, torn between their father's admonition and their desire to find out exactly how such an error in communication had occurred. They both knew that their Daddy would not tolerate any rudeness, especially to a guest, so curiosity was temporarily forgotten. Akane, feeling none of the hesitation that her sisters did, decided to make good on her earlier promise to herself. Stepping up, she tapped the other girl lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey, join me in the practice hall?"  
  
Ranma found himself staring up into perhaps the nicest smile he had seen in some years. Though still unsure of how to act in this situation, it spoke volumes to him that the Tendos had accepted his incorrect gender with no problem. Perhaps, he thought, this place wouldn't be so bad after all. Tearing himself away from the youngest daughter for a moment, he noted the expressions of her sisters. Well, perhaps there would be some small problems. Still, the girl called Akane appeared to be making a genuine effort to be nice.  
  
"I'm Akane. You want to be friends?" Akane asked. Her entire face lit up on the last word.  
  
The breath caught in Ranma's throat. He could only manage the slightest of smiles in response.  
  
*********  
  
As Ranma entered the dojo, he noted the rough, well-used appearance of the place. The floor, walls and ceiling had all been patched and re- patched so that the room became a collage of fading brown and tan. Pausing at the door, he reached his hand out and felt one of the main support beams. It was a thick piece, made of fire-treated oak. It was the kind of wood that could stand up to the most brutal punishment: as hard as stone, but with a give that would last a hundred years. It wasn't a pretty place, Ranma admitted, but at its core, this was a dojo built for fighting and training. He would enjoy being here.  
  
"You do Kempo, right?" Akane asked as she walked into the dojo. She paused to cinch up her belt.  
  
"A little." Ranma answered.  
  
"Then lets have a little match, Ok?" Akane said as she motioned her sisters into the dojo. Kasumi and Nabiki had changed into gi's like Akane's. Both bowed as the entered and kneeled down near the side wall. Akane took up a basic stance, one hand held chambered by her side, while the other floated in front, ready to block incoming attacks.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma asked intelligently, seeing the two sisters pick up referee flags, one red to match his own shirt and the other white for Akane's uniform. Apparently the youngest daughter didn't mean for this to be a friendly 'little match.'  
  
Seeing the other girl eye her sisters uncomfortably, Akane realized that perhaps a fully judged bout was too much pressure to put on her new friend right now. It would be best for their guest if they both just loosened up. Turning towards Kasumi and Nabiki, she motioned them to put down the flags and mouthed the words, "Just for fun."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Akane added out loud, hoping to calm Ranma down.  
  
"If you say so." Ranma said, eyeing her opponent critically.  
  
Akane's eyes widened slightly. The other girl seemed not to have moved at all, but suddenly her entire body was loose. Akane realized that her guest no longer considered this match little at all. Though the red headed girl had her feet together and her hands clasped behind her back, her unreadyness was a deception. Akane knew that Ranma held her body in such a way as to appear totally calm, but at any moment she might explode. This was going to be so much fun!  
  
Knowing that her opponent stood ready galvanized Akane into action. She charged forward, throwing out a basic feint. As her fist curved widely around, she expected the other girl to block or at least duck. Instead, Ranma simply leaned back, allowing the punch to sail by. Without warning, Akane's foot lashed out in a low sweep. The redhead's back arched as she fell and she executed a quick handspring over the trip. Before her opponent righted herself, Akane's sent her other foot curving towards her challenger's head. Ranma executed a forearm block, but only just barely. Akane noted with some satisfaction that the impact of her kick managed to jar her opponent's entire body. Rather than step back, as many fighters might do after such a blow, Ranma skipped forward and began to weave her hands in and out of Akane's guard in an impressive display of in-fighting. Suddenly, the redhead's blows were coming fast and furious. The tide of the fight, however, remained decisively in Akane's favor. An elbow was blocked, a short punch was slapped down and abruptly, Akane saw her opening. She pulled one of Ranma's forearms towards her while sliding her other hand along the smaller girl's wrist and twisting it over. Her plan worked and Ranma's hands became momentarily entangled. That split second was more that the heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts needed to launch a lighting-quick barrage of blows into her opponent's stomach. Then, bending her knees fractionally, Akane exploded into a jumping uppercut, sending the redhead flying backwards.  
  
Executing an amazing twist in the air, Ranma landed in a three point crouch, her other hand cocked back for a potential strike. Seeing that Akane had not pressed her advantage, though, Ranma stood and began to weave back and forth across the dojo. Obviously, he had underestimated his opponent, he thought as he danced from one foot to the other. Akane was fast, strong and skilled. He was definitely going to have to pull it together if he was going to have any chance of winning this fight. Ranma's grin was almost feral as a plan crystallized in his mind; for the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, there was a single guaranteed way to trounce one's opponents. Action decided, Ranma blurred forward much faster than before. Akane, though, was not caught unaware and raced to meet her opponent. She only paused momentarily as she caught sight of a look of pure confidence on her opponent's face. Drawing near to one another, both fighters leapt into the air. Akane coiled her body around into a devastating reverse side kick. As Ranma saw this, the full spectrum of attacks at his disposal collapsed into the perfect counter-strike. He caught his opponent's ankle in the crook of his knee and used the girl's leg to spin himself around, catching Akane across the jaw with his heel. Momentarily stunned, the youngest Tendo received two more vicious punches to her torso. Ranma then released his stunned opponent and sent her crashing into the wood floor with a brutal stomp. With the last blow, the Saotome heir had managed to propel himself to the far end of the dojo where he landed lightly and turned to survey the damage he had wrought.  
  
Seated at the sidelines, Kasumi and Nabiki had seen things start off much as they had expected it; Akane had taken it easy on the new girl. The fight, though, had quickly escalated into an impressive display of martial excellence. Ranma had surprised them with a stunning combination of blocks and punches. Akane, true to form, had riposted with a subtle, albeit punishing, display of the Thief's Handshake form. But then, when the fight seemed decidedly in their sister's favor, Ranma's aerial assault had definitively swung things back in the challenger's favor. The Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts prided itself on being effective at any combat range, but both sisters had come to the conclusion that they were obviously outclassed by the Saotomes in that particular arena. Even now, they could see that Akane had reached the same deduction, as she was obviously wary of any further airborne engagement. Rising from her landing spot on the dojo floor, Akane quickly bridged the distance between herself and her opponent, eliminating her Ranma's advantage. The red-head wisely stayed out of the range of Akane's more compact attacks, but both had begun to fight in earnest once more. Strikes were exchanged with greater and greater swiftness, but neither managed to land so much as a slap on the other. Together, the two fighters danced back and forth across the dojo floor, twisting sinuously to a rhythm that was determined in the space between one moment and the next. To the sisters sitting beside the epic battle, it became more and more apparent that no one in the family had been pushing Akane for quite some time. The expertise, speed and power she was displaying in her fight against this newcomer reminded them both how far and how fast Akane had risen in the Art. The challenger, Ranma, seemed to be equally hard pressed, but it appeared that neither would give any quarter on the dojo floor.  
  
Then unexpectedly, the finale came. Akane lunged forward, the weight of her entire body behind a powerful straight right punch. Sensing that, as his father had done earlier that day, the Tendo girl had overextended herself, Ranma struck. He flipped over Akane's outstretched fist. As he landed behind, the redhead shot out his hand to tap a pressure point at the nape of Akane's neck. The subtle force would incapacitate the girl and end the fight. A split-second before his strike could land, Ranma felt a subtle shift in the air current: He had been tricked! The Tendo's foot exploded through Ranma's midsection, flinging him away towards the dojo entrace. Unfortunately, Ranma's graceful flight was interrupted as he smashed into one of the solid main support beams. Ranma managed a slight smile just before he lapsed into unconsciousness. His opponent, he noted with grudging respect, had time to turn and watch the result of her attack before she collapsed abruptly into a boneless heap on the rough floor.  
  
*********  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: So I got to thinking, "What would it be like if Akane were just as good as Ranma?" All in all, it appeared to me that there would be more friction, not less. But then I considered the root causes. What would make Akane better? If Soun had trained Akane hard. As hard as Ranma had been trained. Well, why doesn't he do that originally? Too emotionally fragile, right?. What made him so? The death of his wife. Bing! If Kimiko, as I am calling her, had continued living, things would be a lot different for the entire family. I'm hoping this story will turn into a R+A love thing, but right now I'm just playing around, so something else might come up.  
  
Always remember to take it easy!  
  
Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say! 


	2. Deceiving Appearances

To the casual observer, it might have appeared that Soun Tendo and his wife, Kimiko, were sharing a calm moment together upon their own back porch. It could not be denied that it was a truly beautiful afternoon in the early fall. The weather was the sort of crisp coldness that, when coupled with a brilliant autumn sun, lent itself perfectly to the enjoyment of watching the leaves change into their mature hues. The illusion of harmony was almost crystallized into perfection as a single crimson oak leaf drifted lazily back and forth upon the air currents before alighting gently on the glassy surface of the Koi pond. If the patriarch of the Tendo Clan, Soun, had not been desperately searching for a means to convince his wife of the soundness of a promise he had made over 20 years ago, he might have been moved to a Haiku. As it was, the thought of a perfect 17 syllables never even entered his mind.  
  
*********  
  
Bill presents:  
  
Ranma ½, A Man's Woman  
  
  
  
Part Two: Deceiving Appearances  
  
*********  
  
Kimiko, seated next to her husband, took a small sip of her tea before placing the cup down between them. "Why did you not tell me?" She asked softly, still staring out at the pond.  
  
"I did not think you would understand."  
  
"You were right."  
  
For several more minutes, the two sat in silence. Then, Soun cleared his throat and began to speak. "20 years ago, before we were married, I made a pledge of honor to my training partner, and best friend, Genma that our children would be wed. He and I saw hell together under the old master. We thought it only right that after such hardships, our schools should be joined."  
  
"The issue here, husband," Kimiko countered in her most formal tone, "is not the validity of your pledge to Genma, for I feel that is rather moot now. Rather, I would speak of the question of your honesty to your wife."  
  
Stunned, Sound could did not answer immediately. As always, he felt it better to think first and then to answer questions. In all serious relationships, he mused silently, the only true problems were ones of trust. Repairing this breech without betraying his honor would require the utmost humility and tact. Suddenly, the irrational urge to escape his problems by fainting dead away rose within Soun's mind. Irritably, he quelled such an unworthy thought.  
  
"I am sorry, Kimiko. I acted selfishly and foolishly in my desire to see the continuation of the school and the honor of our clan. On my life, it will not happen again."  
  
Then it was Kimiko's turn to sit in silent thought. The weight of Soun's words could not be denied, but neither could the sincerity of his regret. Truly, he had become a formidable man in the years she had known him. "Oh Soun." Kimiko said as she removed the tea from between them, "How is it that you are able to make a heartfelt apology seem like an ironclad defense?"  
  
Soun reached over and slid his hand over his wife's tiny fingers, pausing briefly at the golden twin of the ring he wore. "Maintaining pride in defeat is something I learned after I married you."  
  
The matriarch of the Tendo family sighed deeply and leaned her head slightly so that it rested on the solid muscle of her husband's shoulder. "What, then, are we going to do about Ranma?"  
  
"Well, pledge or no pledge, I don't think a marriage will work."  
  
"Perhaps we should consider adopting Ranma in order to unite the schools?" Kimiko speculated. "But, husband, the question of what to do with Ranma right now is far more pressing. Even if she were not the daughter of your best friend, I would still offer the girl a place to stay. She has obviously seen hard times."  
  
"I agree, but what about Genma? Why would he send his daughter here with her pet panda? Clearly something must have gone wrong."  
  
"Hmmmm." Kimiko said as she pondered the question of the absent Saotome. "Speaking of the panda, I wonder where he had gotten to?"  
  
At very that moment, an extremely human hand slid open the screen behind the two Tendos. Turning, they saw before them the prodigal father himself, Genma Saotome. Soun recognized his old friend immediately. There were differences, to be sure. Ten years on the road could not help but change a man. He was heavier than he had been in his youth, but with the sort of bulk that could be dangerous to an opponent in a fight. Yet for all the wear and tear he (and his hair) had seen, Genma stood very much as Soun remembered him.  
  
In a heartbeat, the Soun was on his feet, clasping Genma's callused hand. "Old friend! How have you been? How was China? Kimiko, would you be so kind as to pour our guest some tea. Please, sit down."  
  
Genma accepted the steaming cup Kimkio offered him, rumbled his thanks for the tea and took a seat, staring straight ahead at the same floating crimson leaf that the husband and wife pair had observed earlier. The grim expression on Genma's face was not lost on Soun. He had been with Genma through thick and thin and there was no mistaking the air about his friend. Genma clearly had much to say and needed time to place his story into an organized whole. With true Japanese hospitality, Soun swallowed his myriad of questions and took up a similarly meditative pose next to Genma. In contrast to her husband, Kimiko was put off by the sudden appearance of the man whose daughter had caused so much turmoil that day. Genma had simply taken a seat with no hint that he would even provide an explanation. Yet, like her husband, Kimiko was too polite to press for details. So, following the abrupt arrival of the missing father, a wholly different sort of silence ensued for the trio.  
  
*********  
  
Nabiki blew out a pent up breath, and quickly inhaled again. It was too soon after that workout to be depriving herself of oxygen, she thought. The middle Tendo sister sat propped up against the hard wood of the dojo wall. It was not comfortable but, with the way her body ached, no position would be. Glancing over to the corner of the dojo she saw that Ranma and Akane were still deep in conversation, their hands wildly gesticulating about some technique or another. The moment the two had awoken from the spectacular double knockout, they had begun to dissect the battle they had just fought. In the intervening hours, the pair had paused from conversation to train a bit with the other Tendo sisters, but both Akane and Ranma seemed eager to get back to their discussion. For her part, Akane seemed to be ecstatic about having a peer to train and talk with. In the same way, the once-quite Ranma had become much more animated when talking about something she was so obviously skilled at. Nabiki herself and Kasumi had participated in the debate for a while, but there was only so long they could talk about someone else's fight before they felt the need to spar. Reminded of the series of bouts she and Kasumi had fought, Nabiki swiveled her head to gaze at her other sister.  
  
Kasumi was seated against the wall, drenched in sweat, in what could kindly be described as a heap. For a brief moment Nabiki allowed herself a smile of pride. Kasumi was still panting in exhaustion from the sparing they had done, while she herself was well on the road to recovery. Still, though, Kasumi had probably slackened her training while in college; classes, friends, and a boyfriend were a lot to handle while trying to maintain a religious practice schedule. Again Nabiki turned her head to look at her younger sister. On the other end of the spectrum from Kasumi's hectic college life was Akane's zealous denial of the things Nabiki herself enjoyed most: sleeping in, hanging out with friends after school, boys. At the last one, Nabiki sighed deeply, her hypoxia temporarily forgotten. There was at least one advantage Akane's near monastic life-style offered: as today's training had proven, the youngest Tendo's practice schedule had obviously put her on a higher level, martially speaking, than the other two sisters. She might have even been better than their father. Despite herself, Nabiki quietly wished she possessed Akane's flawless technique, if only to deal with an annoyingly sexist pig.  
  
Drawing another large breath, Nabiki heaved herself off of the floor. "Come on guys, we need to get ready for dinner."  
  
Kasumi let out a small whimper and began the arduous process of standing up. Akane and Ranma, on the other hand, were on their feet nearly instantly, having recovered from their sparing much sooner than either of the other two sisters had thought was fair.  
  
As the walked towards the house, Ranma still appeared to have something more to say about the match. Leaning over, she grinned at Akane. "I've gotta tell ya, you're not going to catch me like that again."  
  
Akane smiled at her new friend's small boast, "Maybe I'll catch you another way?"  
  
"Well, I'm just gonna train harder, so I don't get caught at all."  
  
"I'll see your training and raise you another match tomorrow morning. Say 6am?"  
  
"Deal, Akane." Ranma said, smiling slightly himself.  
  
*********  
  
Once inside the house, Kasumi paused momentarily and leaned against a wall. "The bathroom's just down that way, Ranma." She said, pointing with her other hand. "Why don't you have a shower before dinner?"  
  
"Um, do I have to?" The sweaty red-head asked. It was not lost on any of the sisters that Ranma's stance became suddenly defensive. All of them had enough tact, though, to refrain from pointing out the shift.  
  
"Yes, please." Kasumi said. "You need to wash off all that road dust, too."  
  
"Ok." Ranma said as she obediently trudged off in the direction Kasumi had indicated.  
  
*********  
  
After the newcomer had departed, the trio of sisters continued on the way to their rooms to gather up bathing supplies. Walking down the hall, the three could not have looked more different. Akane was so full of energy that her long hair bounced from side to side as she nearly skipped along. Next to her, Nabiki walked with the certain, easy gait she always possessed. Kasumi, normally tall and statuesque, had been reduced to a hunched, limping mess.  
  
"Its too bad Daddy couldn't train with us." Akane said, turning excitedly to her sisters.  
  
"Yeah, that workout just wasn't hard enough." Nabiki intoned sarcastically.  
  
Akane stuck out her tongue, "You can't fool me. I know you and Kasumi like training with Daddy as much as I do."  
  
"Well, yes." Kasumi admitted. "But you have to admit that he goes overboard sometimes."  
  
"Overboard? Try down right crazy." Nabiki snorted. To describe their father's teaching style as zealous was a grand act of understatement.  
  
"Well, I guess you both aren't going to want to train with me, Daddy and Ranma tomorrow morning."  
  
"Oh my." Kasumi said, stretching a kink out of her back. "I have to get back to campus and study. You know how that is."  
  
Nabiki's lips quirked upwards at Kasumi's none-too-subtle fabrication. But, she reminded herself, her own priorities and Kasumi's definitely lay in a similar direction. "And I have a lot of sleeping to do, little sis."  
  
Akane put her hands on her hips and stuck out her tongue again in a display of extreme annoyance at her sisters' reluctance to train with her. Akane felt that if Nabiki was going to duck out of training like she had done earlier that week, a payback was definitely in order. "How are you ever going to beat Kuno for real, Nabiki, if you don't train?" Akane asked innocently. If there was one way to nettle her sister, it was to bring up her air-head classmate.  
  
"I can beat that moron any time!" Nabiki said angrily.  
  
"Those aren't the odds Hiroshi and Daisuke are giving." Akane shot back.  
  
"Cha! Those idiots have starting betting on other people's fights? How mercenary can you get?" Nabiki said, shaking her head in disgust. It was like some people had no honor at all. Suddenly, Nabiki turned her head away from her younger sister and looked past the open screen into the room where her mother and father were sitting. "Hey, who's that guy with Mom and Dad?" She said, abruptly shifting the topic of the conversation.  
  
Both Kasumi and Akane's shrugged. The large man in the white gi they had glimpsed as they had walked by could have been anyone. Their parents both ran successful businesses, so it wasn't unusual for guests to come and go unannounced.  
  
Quickly forgetting the stranger and her teasing of Nabiki, Akane looked across at her older sister with concern. "Kasumi, you really should get Mom to take a look at you before you go back to school. That bruise looks really bad."  
  
Kasumi smiled. "I know. I just need to soak for about hour first."  
  
*********  
  
Nearly submerged in the steaming waters of the tub, Ranma sat in quite contemplation. It had become overwhelmingly apparent that the Tendo's were good people; the parents had accepted him almost immediately, despite the circumstances of his arrival and his erroneous gender. The two older sisters had been kind enough, to say nothing of Akane's almost instantaneous friendship. Still, even good accepting people couldn't tolerate a sex-changing freak under their roof, he thought bitterly. It might be best to simply slip away in the night. Go back to China and forget all this crap about the Tendo's. Forget the first people he had befriended in years. Forget how his heart skipped a beat when Akane smiled. Yeah, wouldn't that be best?  
  
"No!" He forced himself to think: running was a coward's way out. It was a Panda's way out. Ranma Saotome had had enough of running to fill two lifetimes. It was a man's way to turn and face things head on. Even if the Tendos rejected him, it would not be his failure. "I guess I'd better go out." He thought with newfound confidence.  
  
Ranma stood up.  
  
*********  
  
Kasumi, clutching her towel in her right hand, slid open the screen and stepped into the steamy bathroom with Akane and Nabiki right behind her.  
  
"I just wish Daddy would let me take a look at those scrolls." Akane trailed off, noticing that her older sister had stopped dead. "What the matter?" She asked, stepping around Kasumi. As the steam blew away, a very naked young man, apparently frozen in the process of stepping out of the tub, confronted the sisters. For a moment neither the girls nor the boy said or did anything. Then, abruptly, all three sisters stepped back into the changing room and Kasumi slid the screen closed.  
  
*********  
  
"Ayieeeeee!"  
  
Kasumi was the first to come to her senses and immediately stopped screaming. Turning, she grabbed Akane and Nabiki by the shoulders.  
  
"Stop it!" Kasumi commanded, her voice betraying more than a little of the fear they all were feeling. "Nabiki, you go get Dad and Mom! Akane, we need to get some weapons or something."  
  
"Why don't we just kill him with our bare hands?" Akane asked as Nabiki dashed off, barely remembering to wrap a towel around herself as she went.  
  
"Because I'm too scared, that's why!" Kasumi screamed over her shoulder as she tore out of the changing room.  
  
*********  
  
Just as Akane and Kasumi rounded the hallway, headed back from the dojo towards the bathroom, they saw that Nabiki had reached the door to the porch to warn her mother and father about the pervert in the bathroom. Both sisters had immediately gone to Akane's bedroom. Leaping out of the window had proven the shortest route to the dojo for weapons. Suitably, both girls were armed to the teeth, but they noticed with some embarrassment that only Nabiki had maintained the presence of mind to put on any clothes. Still, towels or no, whoever was in the bathroom was now in for the beating of a lifetime. With that thought in mind, they watched as Nabiki slid open the screen in front of her. All three sisters saw that her mother and father were still sitting with their guest.  
  
"There's some strange guy in the bathroom." Nabiki said breathlessly.  
  
Suddenly, all the members of the Tendo Clan turned towards the distinct sound of a throat being cleared. Before them stood a slope shouldered boy with black hair, dressed in the same clothes the red-headed girl had worn earlier.  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."  
  
*********  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Wow, thanks for all the great C&C on the last chapter! Keep 'em coming! There were a lot of thoughts regarding Akane's martial potential. I hope this chapter and subsequent ones will go a ways towards explaining Soun's disposition and how that will contribute to Akane's progression. Plus, let me just say that I have a few other tricks up my fictional sleeves, so hold on tight. This chapter ended up being a little choppy, given the nature of the comic, but what can you do? I am also hoping that the next few chapters will be a little smoother and I will get to explore the developing relationship dynamic between R&A. And there are going to be some more excellent fight scenes (Akane vs. male Ranma)!!  
  
As always, remember to take it easy! 


	3. How it is

Since she had been young, Akane Tendo had been around the world in her pursuit of martial excellence. She had traveled the length and breadth of her own land. She had been across the sea and to the peaks of the highest mountains. She had been lost within sacred forests of India and run wild across the plains of America. In her travels, she had seen and done things that would astound a more normal person. But never once, in all her memory, had she had she been so completely amazed by something as simple as a story. She sat, cross-legged and listened with rapt attention to the tale of two men setting out for a foreign land, with no money and only the barest hints of where they would go and what they would do. With only a desire to better themselves martially, the two had fought and run their way across the most populous nation in world. Along the way they encountered things that made Akane herself gasp with amazement. Their struggles were so bizarre and, eventually, so disastrous that Akane found herself nearly at a loss for words. Yet, as she sat in her own living room, in mundane Nerinma Japan, and listened to the saga of Ranma Saotome and his father, there was only one thing she could say:  
  
"What a pair of idiots!"  
  
*********  
  
Bill presents:  
  
Ranma ½, A Man's Woman  
  
Part Three: How it is  
  
*********  
  
"Akane!" Kimiko Tendo admonished. Certainly, it was true that Genma Saotome had been less than brilliant in his execution of Ranma's training. In fact, she now considered the man nearly criminally negligent in the treatment of his progeny, but still, he daughter should have known to treat guests with more respect.  
  
"Whaddaya mean, 'pair of idiots'? You think I wanted to lose my manhood, ya dumb tomboy?" Despite Kimiko's attempted preemption, Ranma was on his feet in a second, nearly shouting at Akane. He then turned and grabbed hold of Genma's collar. "It was this lazy tub of lard that dragged me there. I just wanted to train!"  
  
Before Akane could even respond, Genma seemed to snap to life. He seized hold of his son's hand and began to twist, sharply. Normally, Ranma would have flown out of the open door and into the yard, but instead a restraining hand from Soun Tendo prevented it. Both Ranma and Genma's looked up to the patriarch as they found their hands immobilized in Soun's iron grip.  
  
"Calm yourselves." Soun commanded to the room at large, a razor's edge of steel in his voice. There was a tense moment of muscle straining against muscle. Slowly, as it became clear that Soun would not give, both Saotomes relaxed and muttered their acquiescence. Soun released them and they returned to a sitting position across from the Tendos.  
  
For long minutes, no one said a word. Ranma busied himself with ignoring Akane, who was, in turn, appeared to be too fascinated by her own fingernails to even notice the cold sideways looks the boy was attempting not to give her. In contrast to their sister, Kasumi and Nabiki were nearly bursting to talk to their guests. Kimko, seated next to her husband, immediately recognized the same look of inquisition in her daughter's eyes that she had seen earlier that day. It had been that look, the eyes of a cat sighting the movement of a particularly dim witted mouse, which had prompted the three elders to carefully craft a plan to introduce Ranma's "condition" to the Tendo girls. The girls were supposed to be given a chance to accustom themselves to Ranma and vice versa. Only after a suitable period of adjustment would the truth be shared. Unfortunately, that plan had been shot to hell. Even though Ranma had been bold enough to announce his condition to the household at large, the girls must not be given the chance to rake the father and son across the coals. It was still true that both families would need some time and space to adjust to each other. Kimiko again thanked her good luck that she had found Soun; her husband would handle things.  
  
"Daughters" Soun said, "help your mother in the kitchen. Our guests could use some tea and I imagine that we should begin keeping hot water on hand."  
  
Both of the older daughters looked crestfallen at the thought of leaving such interesting guests. Akane, on the other hand, cast a look of derision towards Ranma and his father and rose to her feet. "Just stay out of the bathroom, pervert."  
  
Before Ranma could launch a suitably caustic reply, Akane had swept out of the room and beyond earshot.  
  
*********  
  
As the four women left the room, Ranma blew out a sharp breath. It was like being in the zoo, he thought, only in reverse. When the older two sisters had looked at him, he felt like a sideshow freak being gawked at. Mainly, though, he felt anger leveled at the youngest daughter. Calling him an idiot and a pervert! Who did she thing she was? That stupid tomboy had probably never taken a risk for sake of the Art. At that moment, Ranma was willing to swear that the dark eyed girl across from him didn't know the first thing about real training. And she had the nerve to laugh at him! And that's just what she was probably doing, he thought. Yeah, all those girls were probably having a great big laugh at the sex-changing freak! He had been a fool to think that he was welcome in this place. All he wanted was to go back to China and leave all this nonsense behind.  
  
"I'm outta here!" Ranma said as he stood up and began to walk towards the door.  
  
Soun turned to face his future son-in-law. "Please, sit Ranma. We have things to discuss."  
  
"Like what?" Ranma asked belligerently, but again, the iron in Soun's voice compelled him to obey. So he remained where he was.  
  
"As I'm sure you're father has told you," Soun began, casting a nod towards a subdued Genma, "the Tendo and Saotome clan's are bound by a pledge of honor to be joined through marriage. As the sole heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, that you are responsible for seeing that pledge through."  
  
"I don't got time for marriage and fiancées and junk. I've gotta go back to China and get cured."  
  
"The question of your cure weighs heavily on my mind as well. But, as your father explained it to me, all of your attempts to cure yourselves in China failed. Might I suggest a different strategy?"  
  
"Yeah? What kinda strategy?"  
  
"As with a seemingly unbeatable opponent, it is better to slow down and prepare. You need to find your center before throwing your self back into the fray again."  
  
"Huh? Could you explain that in Japanese?" Ranma asked. His curiosity, however, had been piqued and, with his anger temporarily forgotten, Ranma sat down heavily. At that moment Genma rose up and turned to leave.  
  
"Genma, please stay." Soun asked.  
  
Genma did not turn as he slid open the screen. When he spoke his voice was surprisingly acidic, "I do not need to hear the same lecture twice, old friend."  
  
Ranma watched, puzzled, as his father slid the door closed behind him.  
  
Soun nodded slightly, as if conceding something and then turned from the door to Ranma. Before speaking, he withdrew a lighter from within the folds of his gi along with a well-worn pipe. With nimble fingers he packed down a pinch of tobacco and lit it. As he took the first long drag, he paused to gather his thoughts. "I was reminded earlier today of the Saotome Secret Technique. You are familiar with it?"  
  
Ranma hesitated for a moment, still thinking of his father, "Yeah, I've used it once or twice."  
  
"Motion, contemplation, and opposition." Soun hesitated for a moment to let his words sink in. "This curse has no obvious answer, correct? What better chance to put these principals to use."  
  
Ranma leaned forward slightly, "Like how?"  
  
"For starters, you are here, away from the heart of the problem. That is good. As for contemplation, why don't we start simply? Why don't you carry a thermos of hot water with you? It would facilitate the change back."  
  
"I tried that for a while. I ain't dumb, ya know?"  
  
Soun smiled slightly, "I never said you were, son. Why don't you start by telling me what you have tried?"  
  
*********  
  
As Kimiko entered the kitchen she saw her two eldest daughters had their heads together and were whispering furiously. They stopped abruptly as the curtain swished back into place. Akane, on the other side of the kitchen, was making tea in a manner that can only be described as possessed. Mumbles of pervert and freak interspersed themselves with the sounds of china clinking as the youngest daughter smashed cups and saucers down on a tray.  
  
"Akane!" The whisper was sharp and carried with it no uncertain disapproval.  
  
At that moment the target of the whisper was so caught up in the throws of righteous annoyance that it took her a moment to register who was speaking and to control her voice appropriately, "I'm sorry mother. Its just that he saw us.he tricked us!"  
  
"As I understand it," Kimiko said, fixing all three of her daughters with a questioning look, "you walked in on him."  
  
It was Kasumi who answered, "As Akane said, we were led to believe that Ranma was a girl. We didn't mean to walk in on him."  
  
"I don't really think anyone is as fault here." Nabiki added.  
  
"What about the pervert?" Akane said incredulously, turning to face her sister.  
  
"Akane, think about it for a second." Nabiki said, her voice taking on an almost scholarly tone. "You're raised as this uber-macho kung fu king and all of a sudden you turn into a girl. Your gonna have a gender role nightmare of Freudian proportions. Of course he didn't come right out and say, 'Hey, I'm an aquatransexual.'"  
  
"But still, he should have stayed out of the."  
  
"Girls! I think we are all aware of the lack of transparency in the actions of the Saotomes. What concerns me now is the behavior of my own children. This is a trying time for all involved, but your father and I will work things out. What I want from you girls is your solemn promise to treat the Saotomes as guests. Do you understand? Give them space and treat them politely. And for heaven's sake, no questions! Now please, go upstairs."  
  
"Yes mother." The three answered together.  
  
As the three exited, Kimiko noticed Akane tap Nabiki on the shoulder and ask her something softly.  
  
*********  
  
"The thing is, you don't really get the curse."  
  
Soun sighed. He had to hand it to Ranma, the boy had been quite innovative in his search for a cure. Souns hope for an immediate solution had been faint, but it was still disconcerting to have it dashed. "By all means, explain what I am lacking."  
  
Ranma placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly, "The biggest problem is that I turn into a girl, right? Nope. It took me a while to notice, but after I started thinking about it, the real curse became kinda clear."  
  
It was Soun's turn to have his interest piqued, "Go on."  
  
"To make a long story short, I'm a trouble magnet. I mean, if there's even the smallest chance that I can get splashed, it's a good as certain. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. If it's more embarrassing or dangerous for me to be a girl, it's going to be cold water. But lets say I'm in the girl's bathroom, not that I have any reason to be there, but I'm definitely gonna get splashed with hot water. All across China people got the wrong idea about things. People fell in love with me, challenged me, tried to kill me, and generally made Pop and me as miserable as they could and the curse was helping them every step of the way."  
  
"That sounds fairly far fetched, son." Sound said, tapping out his pipe.  
  
"Just think about it. Wouldn't it have saved everybody a headache if I had been scrubbing down with cold water when your daughters came in to the bathroom? Wouldn't it have been simpler if Pop and me had shown up as men in the first place? But there's no way that was going to happen. If it hadn't been raining, we'd have gotten sprayed with a hose or drenched with water balloons, or a fire hydrant would have burst or."  
  
"Ranma! Stop! I agree that coincidence upon coincidence is rather suspicious, but at this moment we are getting nowhere. For now, let us focus on the root of the problem, or even better, my father had a saying, 'think of the solution not the problem.' Now tell me, what would solve this problem?"  
  
"Well, being cured, but I already told ya, we tried that."  
  
"That is a start, but think, simply, what would keep you from transforming?"  
  
Ranma rubbed his forehead and sat back for a moment. He knew that there was something that Soun Tendo wanted him to find, something that he was missing. Maybe he was trying to hard, he thought. What if it were something really basic? "What if.what if I didn't get wet?"  
  
"Now that is a thought." Sound said, a grin creeping across his sharp features. "How can you keep from getting wet?"  
  
"I could dodge the water. Or, if it couldn't touch me, if it evaporated or froze into ice."  
  
The grin swept into a full-blown smile. "Very clever, those last two suggestions had not occurred to me. For now, though, we should work on having you simply avoid water. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yeah, I should practice dodging."  
  
"Not just dodging, but awareness. That is the key." Soun stood up and began pacing the room. It was this sort of situation that he lived for. An opponent, any opponent, had presented a problem. It was a sensei's joy to help his student find the solution. But more than that, a true teacher should be there to see the student through to the end. Soun wanted a cure for his future son-in-law, that was sure, but more than that he wanted to help Ranma beat this problem. "You should be able to feel the water, know where it could come from at any moment. I think we can come up with some interesting drills to help you. Are you up for it?"  
  
"Yes." Ranma answered.  
  
"Good. I will consult the Tendo family library for ideas on your last two suggestions."  
  
Having said that Soun nodded politely and turned to leave. As he was sliding the screen open, Ranma stopped him, "Mr. Tendo.Thanks."  
  
"Your quite welcome, my boy."  
  
*********  
  
"What was with all that psychobabble downstairs?" Akane asked as she shut the door to Nabiki's room.  
  
Nabiki took her time before answering, clearing off her bed before collapsing down on her back and ending up with an arm thrown across her eyes. "You're right, sis, it was psychobabble. But that doesn't mean it was wrong."  
  
Akane still stood just inside the room, eyeing her sister critically. Nabiki had obviously thought about the problem Ranma represented and it was still bugging her. She leaned one shoulder against the wall and then began to examine the bookshelf across the room. The titles were different, but the subject matter was nearly all the same: "Women's Empowerment" this or "Re-examining the patriarchy" that. Nabiki had become a veritable one-woman army of feminism is the past few years. She had a mountain of books in Japanese and even some in English. For a teenage, girl it was just too weird. It wasn't that Akane disagreed with feminism per se, but in her mind, most of these writers were full of hot air.  
  
"Doesn't it seem odd to you, just to talk about being as good as a man rather than going out at doing it?" Akane asked derisively.  
  
Nabiki rolled over onto her stomach so she was facing Akane and smiled wickedly, "Still mad that you couldn't beat Ranma? Don't take it out on me."  
  
"I could beat that pervert any day!"  
  
Nabiki twisted the knife a little deeper, "Even when he's a boy."  
  
"Shut up!" Akane said, this time with a real trace of acid in her voice.  
  
Nabiki's evil grin dissolved into fits of equally evil giggles "Oh Akane, you are so easy to get.No, seriously, wait," Nabiki rose off of the bed as Akane turned to leave.  
  
Akane stopped, "Just tell me what you and Kasumi were talking about downstairs."  
  
"We were just discussing how rough things were for Ranma, what with his father and the curse and all."  
  
"He's still a moron."  
  
"Maybe, but its easy to see why he act the way he does. Like I said, Ranma's been inundated with all this macho, super dominant male bullshit. He thinks he's the alpha wolf and suddenly, bam, he's the girl next door. His ego had the rug pulled out from under it."  
  
"Do you really believe all of that?"  
  
"Akane, culture and gender aren't just words, they are very real things that have very real consequences in our lives. They can force us to do things we don't want to do, and we may not even realize what's making us unhappy. You don't get that because you fit perfectly into this whole neat little world Mom and Dad have planned out for you."  
  
"Oh yeah, its super easy to have Mom riding me for not studying enough and then Daddy busting me for not practicing 12 hours a day on my martial arts."  
  
"That's just it, though. Mom and Dad are taking you where you want to go. You want to be the best in school and in the dojo and that's what they're making you. But Ranma doesn't have any choice now. He wants to be a man's man but all he gets is a cold-water castration!"  
  
"Its no more than that pervert deserves. Why do you keep sticking up for him?"  
  
Nabiki didn't answer right away. Instead, she rolled over again, so she was facing away from Akane. Finally, after an antagonizing silence, Nabiki said, in a small voice, "Because I know what's its like to have your choices made for you."  
  
Akane stood for another minute, just looking across the room at Nabiki. Her sister looked small, curled up in the corner of her bed, like the self- assuredness that normally filled her up had leaked out when she had spoken. Then something struck Akane: she wasn't angry anymore. Not at Nabiki, and not even at Ranma. Her sister had said something very private and very painful, and somehow it had taken all of the anger and turned it into a dull ache in Akane's chest.  
  
Akane walked over to the bookshelf and selected a title at random. She tossed the book next to Nabiki before going to bed. "Here sis."  
  
*********  
  
Ranma was deliriously happy. He had just defeated Jin Te Quan, the number one fighter in southern China, if not the world. In doing so he had not only captured the All China Martial Arts championship, but also a huge cash prize and a cure for his curse. As the announcer grasped his hand and held it aloft, he looked out into the audience of tens of thousands of screaming fans and saw that they only had one name on their lips.  
  
"Ranma! We have to train. Wake the hell up!"  
  
Akane's none-too-subtle wake-up call was accompanied by a large bucket of water, which landed on the disoriented Saotome. For just a moment lay still, waiting for the change to occur, but when the familiar tingle didn't come, he opened one sleep-blurred eye and saw that his chest was as flat as a board. The water was warm!  
  
Warm water or no, he wasn't about to let any tomboys get away with interrupting his sleep. "Hey you stupid, good-for-nothing, ugly." Ranma stopped abruptly when he was merely addressing an open window. That chick was toast!  
  
*********  
  
Author's Notes:  
Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. If anyone ever tells you that graduate school is easy, you spit in their eye and tell them Bill said to. On another, non-spit, note: I think the stuff with Nabiki got a little more serious than I intended it. That's cool, because I am trying to just write this and let it be what it's going to be, but I like the light hearted stuff a little better. Finally, I would say that I'm going to try to be more regular, but I am starting the medical part of my combined degree, so time is going to be a little thin on the ground. Oh well.Till next time,  
  
Always remember to take it easy! 


	4. Can I get an Amen?

Ranma was an expert on dressing quickly. During his varied and various training trips he had run out on more than his fair share of debts. As with everything else in the life of an Anything Goes martial artist, there was an art and a lineage to it. Ranma's father had, if not invented, than at least made significant contributions to the sweet science of whelching. The only problem lay in the fact that Genma liked to sleep in as much as was humanly, and pandaly, possible. The key to having both a full wallet and a good night sleep was, as with most things, timing. In this case, the quicker the better. They say that every man puts his pants on one leg at a time, Ranma mused, but that was probably because it was cumbersome to say that some put their's on in a twisting back flip towards the window. Either way, Akane was in for a fight.

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Four: Can I get an Amen?

*********

Ranma raced through the entrance to the dojo and stopped short. Akane was kneeling on the floor with her eyes closed. Her breathing was deep and slow. She did not look ready for a fight. He walked forward until the whole dojo was in view. Akane's father, Soun, was standing with his back to his daughter. He looked like he was reading something. Ranma cleared his throat.

"Ranma, good to see you're awake." Soun said without turning around.

"Yeah, um, I thought we were going to be training."

"We are. Just come in and clear your mind. Meditate for a few minutes while I figure something out."

Ranma walked forward and knelt down next to Akane. She didn't stir. Ranma closed his eyes and wondered what to do next. The Saotome School of Indiscriminant Grappling wasn't long on meditation. Nor was it long on thought in general, Ranma mused, but he should be able to make a credible effort before training began. He focused on the image of a still bowl of water, but quickly switched when he began to feel thirsty. A candle flame, the sound of a chime and a single lotus petal followed in rapid succession. Somewhere between the sound of one hand clapping and the formless form of wind he grew frustrated and poked Akane.

"Ow, what do you want?" Akane said, rubbing her side.

"What are we doing? I thought we were going to fight."

"No, we are going to train and then we are going to fight. Daddy had some idea about forms he wants to try."

"Ah man, forms! That's lame."

Soun Tendo interrupted, gently but firmly "Ranma, we learn forms as the basis for all our movements and manipulations. Now, if you and Akane would come take a look at this."

In the center of the room, Soun held up a scroll. It was yellowed parchment and cracking with age. Ancient Chinese lettering surrounded the figure of a man. The scroll showed the location of several pressure points on a man's body. All in all, it looked like about a thousand other scrolls Ranma had seen.

"Are we going to learn those pressure points?" Akane asked.

"Yes, but that is not the lesson for today. Are you both familiar with the Limitless Freedom form?" Soun's eyes twinkled.

When both Akane and Ranma nodded, Soun continued. "Good, the exercise today will be to complete the form, in its entirety."

"Wait a sec, there's just no way!" Ranma protested. "That form is like, 8 hour long and it requires a huge expenditure of battle aura. I mean, I think I could do it, but, I dunno, why?"

"As for the why, that is easy enough. A great deal of the Limitless Freedom form is devoted to improving the speed and stamina of the practitioner. It is second to none in expanding the yang transformation at the 3rd and 5th chakras. To wit, you will be better for having done it."

"But Daddy, still, it takes so long. We have school today."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want you to miss school. But I don't think that will be a problem. For the true master, the Limitless Freedom form takes a brisk 45 minutes. That is, if the master is willing to burn through nearly all their battle aura. I know you don't want to admit it, but neither of you have anywhere near enough."

Soun brandished the scroll again, more to quiet the protests Ranma and Akane were making than anything else. "And thus, we turn to this cheat. This scroll details a technique for, pardon the expression, putting your chi into overdrive. Used unwisely, it would literally burn through the meridians of your body and render you incapable of using battle aura ever again. But I think it should be safe if we use it outside of true battle. Now hold still." Neither Ranma nor Akane missed the slightly maniacal look in Soun's eyes.

Ranma turned his eyes questioningly to Akane. "He 'thinks' it should be safe?"

Akane shrugged. "Daddy is usually right about this stuff. Most of the time, anyway."

"To begin, I have to tap your Lao Gung point with this jade needle…"

*********

"School?" Ranma asked his father after returning to the room they shared. For a few years now he hadn't stayed anywhere for long enough to make school a necessity. Why ruin a good thing? And besides, his body ached too much to go to school. It had been a hell of a workout, even if they had stopped without any sparing. The Limitless Freedom form, the Chi overdrive: he hadn't been trained like that for a while. Plus, he was forced to admit that Akane had the skills and stamina to make training with her interesting. Maybe yesterday's fight hadn't been a fluke. Still, she was probably no match for him as a guy. Probably.

Ranma's focus snapped back to his father. "…staying awhile."

"But Pops, come on. I need to train." Ranma protested weakly.

"Look boy, I don't like it any better than you do, but Soun and Kimiko insisted. They think that Akane is better off because she's stayed in school."

"Better off for what? Just tell them I ain't going."

"I am in no mood for another lecture from Soun. You are going." And with that, Genma turned his back on Ranma and began unpacking his rucksack. As Ranma left the room, he couldn't help but notice that his father left most of their important belongings in his bag. Not a promising sign.

*********

Downstairs, Ranma found breakfast already prepared and waiting on the table. In the kitchen, Mrs. Tendo was humming to herself as she bustled about. Akane and Nabiki were already seated. Akane was tearing into her food while Nabiki just picked listlessly. Ranma sat down opposite the two sisters.

"So, what school is this?" Ranma asked, helping himself to a plateful of food.

"It's the same school Akane and I go to." Nabiki said, standing up. Her jaw was set and she looked determined. "I'll see you there."

"Wait Nabiki, I'll walk with you." Akane said as she began to push herself up.

Nabiki clenched her fist in front of her face and turned towards her sister. "No, Akane. I have to face him myself." Her battle aura flared bright red.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Tendo said, poking her head in from the kitchen.

Nabiki's battle aura sputtered and then died. "Ah, I said, um, 'I have to clear space on my shelf.' You know, in my locker. I need more space." She finished lamely.

"Well, then I guess you'd better get going. That shelf isn't going to clear itself. Seconds Ranma?"

Nabiki nearly ran out of the room.

Ranma could swear that he saw a twinkle in Mrs. Tendo's eye as she piled more food onto his plate.

*********

As she walked, Akane watched Ranma's back sway in front of her. She hadn't ever met anyone else who had the same habit of walking along the fence like she did. It felt nice, in a way, to have someone else on the walk to school with. Still, Akane wondered what Ranma was thinking; probably about the curse, or maybe about the engagement. In the silence of the morning, Akane thought back to her conversation with Nabiki the night before. She needed to keep reaching out to Ranma. Maybe more training?

"How do you feel about a little more practice this afternoon?"

"Sure." Ranma said over his shoulder. "What did you have in mind? Some sparring?"

Akane winced at the though. "I was thinking some grappling or chin na. I am way too tired for any real sparring."

"I thought macho chicks like you didn't get tired?" Ranma asked mockingly.

"I'll fight you any time you want, you perv…" Akane brought herself up short. Why did it have to be like this? Ranma was just baiting her and her temper nearly got the better of her. She needed to keep her cool if she was going to get through to him at all. She took a deep breath and blew it out. "How about lunch today? I can pound you and have time to arrange flowers afterwards."

With that, Akane flipped over Ranma's head and twisted around to face him. "Besides, I really meant what I said yesterday. I want to be your friend."

Ranma stared at Akane. Her head was tilted to the side so that her hair fell over part of her face. Still, it was unmistakable: she was smiling at him. Could it be? Was this chick…cute?

Before Ranma could answer, Akane's expression changed to one of shock. "Oh, crap, we're going to be late." And with that, she grasped Ranma's hand and took off along the fence.

*********

"What the hell?" Ranma yelled. He was being dragged so quickly that his feet didn't have time to touch the ground. The town of Nerinma whipped by at a blur and the only sound he could hear above the roaring of the wind was Akane's footsteps clinking against the chain-link fence.

"We have to get to the school yard!" Akane shouted, without turning back.

"Who cares if we're late for school?"

And with that, he found himself suddenly stopping outside the gates to a large school. For a split second, Ranma thought he could see a pile of bodies lying inside the gate. Akane, though, still had his wrist in her hand and she yanked him off to the side and pushed him against the brick wall.

Akane pressed her face close to Ranma and whispered. "Listen, there's a fight going on inside. Just don't interfere."

Ranma tried to push her away. "Whaddaya mean, fight? Who's fighting?"

"Seriously, just keep your mouth shut." Akane let go of Ranma's arm and leapt atop the wall.

Seeing no other choice, Ranma leapt up next to Akane. He was shocked by what he saw in the yard below. The bodies of a full fifty male students lay strewn about. Someone had beaten them all to a pulp. Oddly, they were, to a man, dressed in athletic gear. Their equipment, however, was shattered: bats broken, bokken cracked, and soccer ball's deflated. In the center of all the carnage stood Nabiki, panting heavily.

Nabiki brushed her hair back out of her eyes. "Every morning. You think you jerks would learn."

"Truly, such a boorish lot."

Ranma turned towards the voice. It was an older boy, an upperclassman. A traditional kendo gi covered his tall frame. Ranma couldn't be sure from his first impression, but this guy definitely looked like a jerk. In one hand, he held a red rose and in the other, a wooden sword.

"Evidently, each of them intends to ask you out, Nabiki, on the dawn that he finally defeats you."

"Oh upperclassman. Good morning." Nabiki said sarcastically.

The older boy tossed the rose towards Nabiki and brought his sword to bear. "And now, Nabiki Tendo, might you fight with me?"

"Man, your sister sure is popular." Ranma said, jumping down off the wall.

Akane quickly followed and grabbed Ranma's arm, pulling him back. "I told you to stay out of the way." She leaned in a whispered sharply in his ear again. "This is Nabiki's fight."

The upperclassman swung his sword around to point at Akane and Ranma. His expression darkened to a twisted visage of anger as a peal of thunder ripped across the sky. "Ah, the witch, Akane Tendo. Have you come to try to win a date with me again? Do not attempt your black magics on me. I will never submit to you."

Ranma dropped his bag to the ground and started forward. "You'd better take that witch stuff back about Akane and apologize."

The upperclassman nearly exploded in rage. "Who are you, boor? Ah! But is it the custom to give one's own name first? Fine then! Mine I shall give!"

"Huh?" Ranma responded intelligently. "If you want…"

But the upperclassman had already begun speaking. "…is upperclassman Kuno. Captain of the kendo club. Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. But my peers call me…" Lightning flashed behind Kuno for a moment, silhouetting him against a darkening sky. "The blue thunder of Furinkan high!"

Akane caught up to Ranma just as a rush of whispers issued from the crowed of students. If Ranma had turned to look, he would have seen that Akane's face held a private smile. "I know you're going to win. He practices Koryu. Just finish him quickly. It looks like rain, if you catch my meaning."

Akane had barely finished speaking to Ranma when a downwards sword slash parted the two. Akane cartwheeled to one side, while Ranma's twisting leap took him high over Kuno's head. "I'm the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling." Ranma landed gracefully in a fighting stance. "I am Ranma Saotome and I accept your challenge."

"So, you are the scoundrel who is now serving the witch, Akane Tendo. I, upperclassman Kuno, shall bring you to justice."

"You're gonna regret insulting Akane!"

And with that, Ranma streaked forward. His body twisted sinuously as Kuno's sword strikes attempted to intercept him. Ranma gently guided the bokken away from a vicious neck chop. His hand twisted over Kuno's sword arm, tangling the upperclassman's grip in the Thief's Handshake that Akane had used yesterday. In the blink of an eye, Ranma was inside of Kuno's guard. Three rapid punches hammered Kuno in the gut, doubling him over. As Kuno's limp body collapsed to the ground, another crash of thunder announced the coming of the rain.

The rest of the student body fled indoors from the torrential downpour. With no time to savor his victory, Ranma turned to run, but stopped short. He wasn't getting wet! As he turned around, he saw Akane smiling at him. In her hand, she held an umbrella, which was covering his head.

"Daddy thought it would be a good idea." Akane stepped in closer so they both were under the umbrella. "Come on, we're late to class."

*********

"Well it does seem to be true, that you were in China until recently. But that doesn't change the fact that both you and Akane Tendo were late. Stand in the hall!"

*********

"I wanted to say thanks. For sticking up for me, I mean. I could have handled Kuno on my own." Akane shifted her weight so that the buckets she was holding rested more comfortably in her hands. She was used to this kind of discipline, but it was never fun. She looked over at Ranma. He didn't look too uncomfortable, either.

"Of course you could have. I just can't stand guys like that."

"I think Nabiki is going to be angry, though."

"Why would she be angry? I did her a favor."

"I'm not saying you didn't. Kuno has been getting more and more obnoxious lately. But Nabiki likes to handle herself."

"What was that all about anyway?"

"I started last year, before I was here. I don't know why, but Kuno got up at some public speaking contest and made this ridiculous pronouncement." Akane set her brow in mock seriousness and struck an imperious pose. "If you wish to take out Nabiki, you must defeat her. I will accept no other terms!"

Ranma laughed, "What a jerk!"

"Yeah, so now all the boys try to beat her every day. And worst of all is Kuno. He keeps challenging Nabiki and then letting her win, like he's so generous."

"He lets her win? He doesn't seem that good."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Whattaya mean?"

"Your throat." Akane said, gesturing with her bucket.

Ranma looked down at the purple swelling just along his collarbone. "Huh? A bruise? From when he missed?" Ranma's eyes darkened. "Wow, and he didn't even touch me."

"If he had, you'd be breathing through hole in your neck. I figured out how he creates that sort of battle aura a while ago. I can show you if you want."

"So he tried the same sort of thing on you?" Ranma asked, looking sidelong at Akane.

"Yeah, on my first day of high school he challenges me to 'A Duel of Beautiful Love.'" Akane attempted to make air quotes with her hands, but the bucket's weight interfered.

"He was planning on two-timing Nabiki with her sister? Classy. But wait, why does he call you a witch now?"

"Well, I already knew he had been hounding Nabiki, so I was ready for him. Instead of fighting, I just shattered his bokken with my fist. You should have seen his face. He looked like I had kicked him in the business." Akane dissolved into a fit of giggles at the memory.

Ranma laughed along at the mental image. "Wow, Soul of the Samurai indeed."

Akane wiped a tear away from her eye. "Yeah and I did it day after day until he got the idea."

"Jeeze, Akane. That's worse than what I did to him."

Akane's eyes widened. "What did you do?"

Ranma leaned over and whispered in Akane's ear. She broke into a fresh set of giggles just as the bell rang.

*********

"Hmmmm. I don't even remember that cur touching my blade." Kuno ran his hand along the length of his bokken.

"I told you not to talk to me in class. And it was just before your hands got tangled up." Nabiki turned towards the window, removing Kuno from her field of vision. She noticed that yet again the boys in the class had arranged themselves at a maximal distance away from her. Kuno, though, was still annoyingly close. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to date anyone till college.

"And I thought at first that Ranma Saotome was good. What does this even mean?!" Kuno cried out, brandishing his bokken.

The words, *I'm with* were carved into the wood.

"Kuno, you moron, lift your hand."

As Kuno loosened his grip from the hilt, the message became clear.

*stupid →*

*********

Lunchtime at Furinkan high school was a busy time. As in most schools across the world, friends sought each other out, groups formed and lunches were shared. Boys and girls flirted, gossiped and generally tried to fit in as much fun and relaxation as they could into 45 minutes. Teenagers were teenagers the world over, and the gauzy heat of the late Indian summer in Nerinma really just accentuated things. Still, Furinkan did have its own unique qualities. Take the density of world-class martial artists that populated the halls. Epic battles fought on the grounds made lunchtimes into a bread and circus so grand that they would have made Caesar blush. A full-time economy of sideline betting was a bit different, as well.

"So, Anything Goes rules?" Ranma asked, stretching lazily in the sun. Students had begun to gather around the front yard of the school. Ranma could hear them chatting amiably about the outcome of the match. He smiled to himself at the odds he was being given. Not nearly enough of a handicap.

"I don't know, Ranma. Maybe no students involved and no property damage?" Akane set her lunch down next to Nabiki. She began to stretch out as well, but her gentle movements naturally flowed into a deep pose that she held for several seconds.

"Ok, I agree: no students and no property damage. What's that?"

"Just some Chi Gung to limber up." And to begin the flow of yin chi, Akane thought gleefully. When she and Ranma had been allowed back into class earlier in the day, Akane had wasted no time in digging out the Kung Fu manuals she had secreted away in her pack. No one noticed that her 'textbook' was over a thousand years old. Ranma was in for a few rude surprises.

Ranma, unaware of Akane's plans for him, dropped into a fighting stance. "Anytime you're ready."

Akane, never one to shy away, ran forward at full speed. A complex spinning kick flowed seamlessly into a leg sweep and an uppercut. Ranma dodged flawlessly. Akane smiled. Her first few attacks were feints, designed to test how sore Ranma was from the training this morning. Disappointingly, he seemed to be in top form, weaving in and out of her strikes. His broad sweeping movements were graceful, but precise, as she had quickly come to expect from him. Ranma threw a few blows of his own, but Akane's compact style left precious little to attack, so he focused on creating openings. Even so, Ranma found it increasingly hard to make a move on Akane. Her blocking and parrying seemed odd, drawing his attacks in, but deflecting them at the last second. He couldn't quite say what was different, but he knew something was wrong. He had been fighting for only 5 minutes and his limbs felt like lead. Akane, far from tiring, was beginning to pick up the pace. Finally, with almost casual ease, Akane seized Ranma's lapel and brought her knee up into his stomach. Before he could recover his breath, Ranma found his entire body lifted and slammed back into the ground. Akane's fist missed his nose by a fraction of an inch as he rolled away and leapt across the field to safety.

Panting with exertion, Ranma could barely lift his arms up to a guard position. When he did, he realized his mistake. His hands and forearms were covered in small bruises. Akane had been playing him! Tapping pressure points over and over with each defense and wearing him down. Man this chick was good! Still, Ranma had to smile. Every attack had its flaw. With that, he charged the waiting Akane.

Akane nearly laughed out loud when Ranma came hurtling back in for more punishment. His combination of kicks and punches were staggering in their speed and ferocity, but Akane had seen him throw the same set together just a minute ago and she was unconcerned. She absorbed most of the blows on her forearms, but as she drew Ranma's hand in she tried to tap his King of Golden Palace point just as she had done before. Instead, though, Ranma pulled his arm up short and smashed his elbow into her fingers. She screamed in pain and frustration, and in that moment a second blow hammered the fingers of her other hand. The third strike connected with her chin and sent her reeling backwards. Sensing blood in the water, Ranma pressed his advantage. Akane felt blow after blow rain down on her. She tried to run, but her retreat was cut off by a gaggle of girls. Akane, sensing that defeat was imminent, did the only thing she could think of and threw her arms around Ranma and wrestled him to the ground.

"Get offa me, ya tomboy." Ranma shouted. There was a brief scuffle in the dirt and Ranma found himself staring up at Akane. He scrambled for purchase, trying to bring his superior strength to bear, but she was holding one of his legs at an awkward angle. Akane attempted to make a fist and found, in frustration, that she couldn't close her hand. Ever the tenacious one, Akane began to throw elbow after elbow into Ranma's torso. Without much ability to protect himself, Ranma took a savage beating, but the impacts jarred his leg lose enough that he could wrench it free. With a shout of effort, Ranma manage to catapult himself and Akane high into the air.

Spinning above the ground, Ranma found Akane's arm. Despite the burning pain in his chest, Ranma managed to pin her limbs aside and slam his fist into her midsection at the moment they both landed. A huge section of the turf was blasted away and he felt Akane's form go limp under his fist as they fell into the resulting crater. He had won.

*********

"You are such a loser." Nabiki sighed as she readjusted her arm under Ranma yet again.

"Whaddaya mean, loser?" Ranma found it hard to work up the requisite anger at Nabiki. Some of the difficulty was all the stuff Akane had said earlier about Nabiki needing to fight her own fights. That had confused Ranma a little bit. Most of his reticence, though, came from the fact that his leg ached too much to walk and Nabiki was the only one willing to help him home. He looked over at Akane, on the other side of Nabiki. She was hobbling along with a staff, like an arthritis patient. At least misery loves company, he mused.

"The first day of school and you get kicked out of class within 5 minutes, then you tell the teacher you and Akane fell down a flight of stairs and you have to go home. Not a good first impression."

"Hey, at least our teacher bought it." Ranma said, hoping it was true.

"Ranma, your teacher was there, betting on the fight."

"Damn. Hey, at least you can get away from Kuno for a while." Ranma said, trying to be helpful.

Nabiki readjusted Ranma savagely. "Do me a favor and stay out of my business. Ok Ranma?"

"Nabiki, Ranma was only trying to help." Akane said, pulling herself up straighter on her staff.

"But he's not helping. Look, now Kuno is going to be all over me twice as badly as before." Nabiki's voice took on a mockery of Kuno's commanding tone. "Who is this Ranma? What manner of man is he? By what right does he address you, my darling? And on and on and on." Nabiki spat.

"Well, why don't you just tell him that you and Ranma are engaged?" Akane asked, trying to think of a way to help her sister. "He might lay off then."

"First of all, that idiot doesn't deserve to know my shoe size, let alone my personal affairs. Second of all, I can handle myself. I don't need some fiancée to hide behind. Or for anything. If you both want to help, just stay out of my business."

Nabiki punctuated her last statement by dumping Ranma unceremoniously in front of the Tendo's gate. Before he had hit the ground, she had run inside. Akane couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw tears in Nabiki's eyes before she disappeared from sight.

*********

Ranma lay in the furo, his face half submerged in the warm water. It had been a hell of a day. Right now, he was listening to his father and Soun Tendo argue with one another. They had been playing shogi when he and Akane had limped in, but they must have forgotten the game all together. Their muffled shouts drifted up from downstairs and Ranma could only make out every few words. Ranma thought back to a few weeks before. When Genma had announced that Ranma was to be engaged, he seemed really happy about going to see his old friend, even over Ranma's protests. It had lifted Genma's spirits for the first time since the cursed pools and the Amazon disaster. But now, Ranma wasn't so sure. Mr. Tendo seemed really critical of his father. And Ranma knew the signs of a cut and run: the food stash in their room, the packed bags, and the way his father kept eyeing the doors, planning an exit for when the time came. It was a shame, really. There was a lot to like about the Tendo's. The food was good, the beds were soft and Akane was shaping up to be a half-way descent training partner. Maybe he should talk to his father about staying…

A knock at the bathroom door awoke Ranma from his reverie. He scrambled to cover himself and cursed as his muscles protested.

"Ranma?" It was Mrs. Tendo's voice. "Are you alright? Akane said that your leg was hurt today. Why don't you let me take a look at it when you get out of the tub? Come downstairs to my study."

"Ah, ok. Let me get dressed."

"See you in a bit, dear."

*********

Ranma entered Mrs. Tendo's study tentatively. He had been invited in after knocking, but he was still unsure of what was about to happen. As he stepped inside, Mrs. Tendo set some papers down on her large wooden desk and gestured to a massage table on the other side of the room.

"Sit down there Ranma and roll up your pants leg." Kimiko pulled up a small stool in front of the table where Ranma was and sat herself down. "This is probably going to hurt quite a bit, so try to keep still."

Ranma winced as she began to poke and prod his knee. As Mrs. Tendo continued working, the pain lessened substantially and he had time to glance around the room. Shelves covered most of the walls and most of the shelves were crammed full of books and scrolls. The books looked like foreign textbooks, with big letters in English. There were also charts of chi meridians and chakras hanging up on the wall. One of them had tacks in it and red string connecting several of the points. Behind the desk, a modern laptop was nearly buried in papers. The cover of the computer was open and an x-ray was displayed with some notes typed next to it. Ranma didn't really know what to make of it.

"Mrs. Tendo, what do you do?"

"Oh, I'm a doctor. I work part-time at a small clinic in town with my partner." Kimiko smiled up at Ranma and began to move on to his other leg.

"Like, an herbal doctor?"

"Well, dear, I did most of my medical training in America. But I did my fellowship, the training after medical school and residency, in Bejing in traditional medicine. That was just before Akane was born."

"Wow. So you really know what you're doing?"

"I don't want to brag, but I know a thing or two. Can you show me your forearms? Akane said that she really did a number on them today."

Ranma gulped. "She told you about the fight?"

Kimiko pressed her thumb between the bones of Ranma's forearm and began to massage upward. As with before, the pain was excruciating, but quickly lessened to a manageable level as she continued. "She could hardly hide it from me, could she?"

"You aren't mad?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't approve of you leaving school early. I am always telling Akane that learning is important and so are grades. You both need to do better next time. That being said, I know you are both martial artists and you're excited about having someone to spend time with." Mrs. Tendo's eyes twinkled slightly. "But, please try not to get carried away. There, all done."

Ranma slid off of the table and tested his knee tentatively. It felt as good as new, just like the rest of him did. "Thanks a bunch Mrs. Tendo."

Kimiko smiled at Ranma and handed him two small packets. "Now then, I want you to take these herbs before dinner and these others before bed time. The will help you sleep and recover. I imagine you have another big day of training tomorrow. Now go do your homework."

As Ranma turned to leave, he didn't have a chance to notice that Kimiko's gentle smile faded into a look of concern.

*********

Author's Notes:

A big shout out to Riniko22 for encouraging me to continue this story. I had shelved it years ago and I appreciate that people are still reading it. On other topics, it was hard for me to write a fight scene where Ranma wins over Akane while going all out, but it was pointed out to me in previous comments that Ranma is much better in his male form than in his female form. Honestly, I think it will make things more interesting. Next chapter is going to be good (and timely!).

Always remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say!


	5. Like it or lump it

Akane awoke quickly and completely. Her blankets were thrown aside. Her pajamas entirely wrinkled. She had even managed to kick down a shelf in her closet. Again. Still, she had always been a morning person and she attributed it to the way she awoke. The transition from sleep to waking was like a homecoming, soft and welcoming, far different from the way she slept. That was not to say that the morning didn't hold any other pleasures. There was a certain satisfaction she found in walking softly through a sleeping house, hearing the birds begin to rouse themselves and brewing tea in the darkness before dawn. It was also a time that afforded the perfect opportunity for stalking one's prey. She crept slowly towards Ranma's room. His father was probably also asleep, but Akane felt sure that she could strike accurately enough with cold water to leave Mr. Saotome unperturbed. Akane felt a delicious sense of power as she snuck a peek through the slight opening in the doorway. Ranma would never know what hit him. Unfortunately for Akane, the water bucket perched atop the door couldn't have been more perfectly placed.

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Five: Like it or lump it

*********

Ranma stopped short. There was light peeking out from under the large doors of the dojo. Perhaps Nabiki had woken up a little early to train. For Ranma, though, there was normally only one person who beat him to the dojo in the morning. Ranma knew that he had mere seconds before Akane would come careening around the corner. Ranma's father had been in a foul mood last night and if he was training, Ranma didn't want to disturb him. His mind made up, Ranma gently pushed one of the doors and peeked around.

"You had better be ready for the fight of your life…" Akane shouted as Ranma's back came into sight.

"Shhhhh." Ranma hissed, turning back sharply with his finger pressed to his lips. There was something in his face that brought Akane to a full stop the moment before she collided with him.

"What do you mean, 'shhhh,'?" Akane asked, her voice low but insistent.

Ranma took her face away from the door and stepped aside, "See for yourself." He whispered.

Akane pressed her eye to the crack between the two doors. Inside her father and Genma Saotome stood across the dojo floor from one another, unmoving. Both were clearly in fighting stances: Genma faced to the side with his hands held rigidly in the Tiger claw position. Soun, in contrast, had adopted a low Crane crouch, relaxed but ready. Neither spoke, but the air between them was thick and heated. Each man was clearly poised on the edge of imminent violence. To Akane, the moments seemed to stretch out as he waited for the two to begin.

"Akane, why don't you and Ranma come in here?" Soun asked quietly, never taking his eyes off of Genma.

"Um, ok, yeah." Akane jumped. She looked to Ranma questioningly, but he merely shrugged and gestured her on. Akane's hands were unsure as she pushed the door open a fraction more, so she and Ranma could pass inside. They both moved quietly off to the side of the dojo and sat down. Neither Ranma nor Akane made any move towards the judging flags; this would not be a sparring match.

Without warning, Genma started forward. His opening, a lunging kick, was deceptively simple, but it clearly hid a myriad of possible follow ups. Soun stepped back and intercepted the majority of the incoming attacks, but found himself clipped by a devastating right hand. Genma pressed his advantage and seized hold of Soun's lapel, jerking the smaller man off his feet. Soun kept his head admirably and managed to swing his foot around into Genma's jaw before hitting the ground. Both men rolled away from the point of contact only to shoot back at one another with renewed vigor.

Ranma was amazed. He had seen his father fight a thousand times or more, but this time the old man was really going all out. This training buddy must have brought out some scrap that the tub of lard had been holding in reserve. The two combatants were fighting tooth and nail, and his father was pushing himself to the absolute limit. There were techniques at play here that Genma had barely touched on while training Ranma; grappling, infighting, chi attacks, and even more things that Ranma hadn't thought his father capable of. What was even more astounding was Akane's father. Soun Tendo had absorbed a tremendous amount of damage. Even now, the man's breath was failing, yet he continued to put up a tremendous fight. Still, there was no denying which branch of Anything Goes had produced the finer fighter.

"Had enough, old friend?" Genma smiled as he danced in front of a panting Soun.

"Ha. I'm just getting warmed up." Soun retorted, his words more convincing than his stance.

Genma shot in and snatched Soun's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. Midway though the fight Genma had begun to realize just how satisfying it was to be able to toy with Soun, to see how much the extra training and hardship had paid off. Anything Goes was a demanding art, he thought to himself, but it rewarded the faithful. "You've spent too much time living the good life at home."

Soun pushed himself to his feet and shook the sweat out of his matted hair. "And you don't realize how I've gained from staying here with my family."

And with that, Akane realized, her father had caught his second wind. Soun leapt upwards and brought his fist crashing down onto Genma forehead. The fat man was stunned momentarily, but it was more than enough time for Soun to tap two pressure points on Genma's chest. Akane winced as she thought about the kind of pain Ranma's father was probably in right now. That was the kind of fighting her father was known for: quick, decisive and devastating. She had been surprised at the shear ferocity of Genma's attacks, not to mention the brilliance and adaptability he had shown. Her father had not been challenged seriously for some time and it plainly showed. Still, as the fight continued, it was hard to predict the outcome between two men of such flawless technique.

"Give it up, Saotome." Soun said as he grabbed hold of Genma's wrists and swung his forehead towards the larger man's face.

Heedless of Soun's grip, Genma flung his arms wide and released an explosion of electric blue energy that blasted Soun away. "You could never beat me before! What makes you think that today is your day?"

Soun tumbled through the air and smashed against the support beam in the corner of the dojo, sending splinters everywhere. He lay still for a moment, but then his eyes snapped open "Because I've mastered the true art of Anything Goes and you haven't." Soun said, struggling to his knees.

Genma stalked forward coldly. "So that's what this is about? The questioning, the lectures, and the 'match' this morning? You think you should be the one to train the heir to the Anything Goes School."

"Shouldn't I?" Soun said as he finally regained his footing and sent a trio of glowing, chi-charged splinters towards the closing Genma.

Genma soared over the projectiles with an ease that belied his bulk, only to twist in mid-leap and bring his elbow to bear. "No, you fool!"

Soun attempted to block, but the elbow smashed through his defenses and opened a gash under his eye. Despite that, he managed to grab the still-airborne Genma around the waist and hurl him away. Soun stood panting as Genma righted himself before landing. Neither man made any move to reengage.

"I've been training Ranma ever since he was born. I understand the kind of sacrifice that the next generation needs to make to master Anything Goes." Genma growled.

"Why not let our skills decide?" Soun said. "The winner of this match will train Ranma and Akane for the next year. Anything Goes rules? Knockout only?"

Genma almost smiled through bared teeth, "On your honor, Tendo?"

"No. On the honor of our children." Soun said, finally taking his eyes off of Genma and fixing them steadily on Akane and Ranma.

Ranma and Akane sat stock still, momentarily stunned by the decision they were being presented with. It was Akane who spoke first, "If that's what you want Daddy."

Ranma glanced over at Akane. Her head was cast down towards the floor and hair fell over her face, but it looked as if her lower lip was trembling slightly. Ranma tore his eyes away from Akane and looked at their fathers. "Um, yeah, I guess it's ok. If that's what you guys decide and all."

"Then let it begin!" Genma shouted triumphantly, streaking towards Soun.

With almost casual ease, Soun sidestepped a pivoting kick, a twisting dual claw strike and the head butt that had been hidden within the charge. Gone was the sweaty, tired old man that Soun had been. His movements were quick and crisp, his speed: nearly inhuman. A rush of air was the only sound as Soun's knee planted itself in Genma's belly. Without waiting for an answer, Soun delivered a crushing elbow to the larger man's neck, which sent Genma to the floor.

Genma righted himself, shook his head and flew at the spot where Soun had been a moment before. The smaller man was no longer there. He hadn't been this fast or strong a moment ago. Genma was only allowed a moment of realization before Soun's foot descended on his temple. Genma's vision went dark briefly and a lightening barrage of blows impacted on his midsection. Each one struck a specific pressure point and blocked the flow of chi. In the instant after Genma's eyes cleared he found himself staring down at a glowing ball of golden energy that had just been released from Soun's palm. As Genma began to to fly away, Soun leapt out and snatched the larger man's foot, bringing him crashing back to the ground.

Ranma gasped at Soun Tendo's speed and savagery. His attacks were as fast, complex and destructive as anything Ranma had ever seen. They next few seconds were filled with the dull sound of bone repeatedly striking meat. Genma tried to counterattack, but in Ranma's eyes he really had no chance to regain his footing. Even if he had, it was clear that he was outclassed. Ranma wondered how he hadn't seen it from the beginning; there was really no comparing the two men. Soun had played Genma for a fool and now the fat man was paying.

Genma landed bonelessly on the floor, bleeding, bruised and unconscious. Soun Tendo hadn't just won: he had lured his opponent into a duel of honor and then crushed him, ground him down so that only dust remained. Soun's eyes were still blazing as he turned towards the children. "Do you both agree that I am the victor?"

Ranma couldn't take his eyes off of Genma's body. "Yes." He mumbled.

Akane agreed a split second later. She stared at Ranma. The blood had drained from his face.

"Will my dad be ok?"

"Your father will live. But I doubt he will forget his promise. You shouldn't either." Soun turned and walked out the dojo door.

Ranma didn't say another word as he crawled over to Genma's body. He numbly pressed his fingers against his father's neck. The old man had a pulse, albeit a weak one. His fingers came away sticky with blood. Ranma could see the chest rising and falling. His father was alive. Soun Tendo didn't seem like the type to kill someone, but a few minute ago he hadn't seemed like to type to beat someone half to death, either. Unsure of what to do, Ranma began to check the chi points that had been struck in the last part of the fight. Some seemed bruised, but others were burned or perhaps frost-bitten, he couldn't be sure. Ranma knew he was out of his depth here. The old man could be dying or cursed, or anything. Without realizing it, hot tears began to fall from Ranma's eyes. As he took a shuddering breath in, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Akane leaned over Ranma's back. "Let my mother take a look."

Kimiko walked quickly around to the other side of Genma's body and knelt down. Her gaze swept across the man and seemed to take in every detail. Ranma wasn't sure, but Mrs. Tendo might have muttered a curse under her breath. She placed her hands on Genma's chest and closed her eyes.

"What is she doing?" Ranma asked, turning to face Akane. He barely noticed that Akane had left her hand on his shoulder.

"She's healing him. She'll make your father better."

Ranma turned to look back at Kimiko Tendo. She continued to sit with her eyes closed for another minute. Slowly, a bluish glow began to accumulate around her hands. Ranma was still in shock over the fight and how it ended, but without meaning to, he noticed that Mrs. Tendo did not have the hands of a housewife. Her fingers were long and agile, like the hands of a piano player or a surgeon. Her knuckles, though, were callused like a fighter and she had several small scars and burns. Like the rest of the Tendo clan, there was more to the matriarch than met casual inspection, Ranma thought bitterly.

As is by some unseen signal, Kimiko's eyes snapped open and she went to work on Genma. To Ranma and Akane, she was a blur. She pushed joints back into place, re-aligned limbs and kneaded bruised muscles. Lancets of blue chi penetrated wounds and broke up injured tissue. The flow of energy was restored after one meridian after another till, at last, Genma appeared to be breathing comfortably. Kimiko stood and wiped her bloody hands on her apron.

"Akane, join me inside."

"But Mother, I want to stay…For Mr. Saotome."

"Now, Akane. I imagine Ranma has some thinking to do."

Ranma didn't turn to watch them go, but he could still feel where Akane squeezed his shoulder as she left.

*********

As they walked back inside the house, Kimiko could feel the anger building up inside Akane. Her youngest daughter had always been a hot head. Sometimes martial arts seemed to channel that anger, but at other times it seemed to amplify Akane's rage. This time seemed to be one of the latter. Soun was a good man and there was much of him in Akane. Much that Kimiko herself admired. Right now, though, Akane and Soun could not be allowed to butt heads. Neither was in a mood for peaceful resolutions and a fight was unacceptable. Kimiko knew how to deal with Soun, but for Akane distraction was best.

"Daughter, I know that what you saw today was frightening, but…"

"Daddy nearly killed Mr. Saotome! He beat up someone much weaker and, what's worse, he tricked him. That fight wasn't at all honorable."

Kimiko was proud, despite the circumstances. The only thing she prayed for was a good moral compass in her girls, and clearly her prayers had been answered. "Akane, I appreciate what you are saying, but you don't understand the situation." Kimiko held up her hand to forestall protest. "And no, I will not make it clear to you right now."

"I will speak with your father now, and you may speak with him tomorrow. Right now I would like you to go see my partner for some training before school. It will clear your mind, and Dr. Tofu is expecting you to have mastered the chi stinger technique."

"Mother!" Akane said, but Kimiko cut her off again.

"I have spoken my piece and I expect to be obeyed. Is that clear?"

Kimiko watched the emotions play across Akane's features; anger, obedience, honor and even a trace of sympathy warred against one another. "Yes, mother." The last word was clipped. Kimiko almost permitted herself a small smile. Teenage angst was always the dark horse in such competitions.

*********

Kimiko Tendo slid the screen door closed behind her. Even the small click it made sounded like a gun-shot in the silence of the room. Soun sat with his back to the doorway and Kimiko could see that he was holding something in his hands. As she walked around to sit next to her husband, she noticed that his eyes were red and raw, but dry. The photograph Soun was holding was an old black and white one. It showed two young men, their arms over each other's shoulders, dressed in ragged gi's. They were beaten and half-starved, but they both wore enormous grins. To Kimiko, these were men who looked like they had taken the worst the world could dish out and they were still hungry for more. Several places on the photo, however, were marred. Kimiko, being a certain sort of woman, was too polite to comment on the fresh tearstains.

"He was the one that kept me going." Soun said, more to himself than to his wife. "He had this way of making me laugh when things were at their worst. I would chuckle and everything would be a little better."

Kimiko bit back the obvious questions that leapt into her mouth. She felt as if she were in uncharted territory here. "Nodoka told me Genma used to say the same about you."

"I am reminded of one of the Master's training techniques, oddly enough. To increase our will, the Master would force us to march for days across a desert without any rations."

Kimiko sighed. The savagery her husband had endured during his training was appalling.

"During those times, Genma would keep telling me about the food that we would eat on the other side: steamed buns, cherry mochi, sweet rice balls. After all these years, I can still envision the taste. He made be believe that I would have them, that I would make it."

"It's not odd to think of the best in an old friend." Kimiko reached out her hand to cover Soun's wrist. She felt that he was shaking, holding back tears.

"This is not just about Genma, though. You have to understand about the Master, too." Soun said, some of the steel returning to his voice. "He was needlessly cruel, to be sure, but his fatal flaw was that he misunderstood the Art."

Kimiko swallowed hard. Some of the fire had returned to Soun's eyes. She wasn't afraid for her safety, but rather, she feared for the honor of her husband. When Kimiko had met him, Soun was not the most upright individual. Sweet and caring, of course, but without the iron will he had today. Then, slowly, almost so that she hadn't noticed, he had become a man of unshakable moral principles. His mastery of the Art had grown phenomenally during their relationship, but the real transformation was to be found in his character. Kimiko liked to think that she had merely uncovered the good man that had been waiting all along. When she saw Soun's anger, though, it dawned on Kimiko that he needed to explain his actions to her in order to justify them to himself. The responsibility of such a position crashed over her and, for a moment, she doubted herself up to the task. But years of marriage had not only strengthened Kimiko's belief in her husband, but also in herself. She took a deep breath and squeezed Soun's wrist, urging him to continue.

"The Master had his perversions and his vices. Those were things that made him strong, but they distracted him from mastery of the Art and he knew it. In us, his disciples, he attempted to remove those distractions. In his own sick way he tried to make us immune to the temptations of the world. We would be the students who felt no hunger, no pain, and no desire. We would have only the Art." Soun stood up and began pacing the room.

"Genma believed in the Master. He hated him, to be sure. But he thought that the Master's way was the right way. You have heard about the way he has treated Ranma? Dragging him away from his home and his family. Genma has told me other things over the past few days. He has let things slip. He made sure that the boy never grew comfortable, never made friends. Genma was trying to grind all the humanity out of his son. Ranma would only be left with the will to win. And I could not stand for it. I could not allow it."

"When I left the Master, I discovered something, and it has made all the difference." Soun stopped pacing and turned back towards Kimiko. The photo slid from his fingers and drifted softly to the floor. His eyes had calmed and he went and knelt beside Kimiko, taking her hands. "Genma has tried to remove every distraction from Ranma's mastery of the Art. But a student trained in that way is a half-person. They are doomed to defeat right from the start. Think of our family. We fight and we love and we have built a life together; one that is filled up with such beautiful clutter. Our family gives me such strength that I cannot be distracted. Even the most perfect technique could not defeat me. I have learned one thing over these years and it is this: you don't keep a man from being hungry by starving him."

Kimiko could not stop herself. She felt hot tears well up in her eyes and she threw her arms around her husband.

*********

Consciousness returned to Genma Saotome in waves. The first awareness was pain, and it crashed over him, threatening to drag him back under into senselessness, if only to escape. The second wave was gentler; he was in the Tendo's dojo, lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling. The third wave was barely more than a ripple, but it tore at him the worst of all. He had lost. Irrevocably. Genma had been weighed and measured and the sum of his skill had been found lacking. Genma had never expected that such cunning and ability lay dormant in his old training partner. Soun Tendo had become someone else entirely in the years they had been apart. And worst of all, he, Genma, had lost Ranma. Well, no, Genma thought to himself. A true martial artist never really loses; they just change the rules of the game.

Ranma was kneeling right next to Genma and saw his father's eyes open. Then, amazingly, Genma coughed and sat up. "Come on, my boy. We're leaving."

"Uh, now?" Ranma asked, looking at his father's battered form. "Don't you need to recover a little?"

"A true martial artist bears hardship with stoicism." Genma reminded his son. He wished he could live up to that saying as he groaned and tried to get up.

"But, ah, Dad…" Ranma placed an arm under Genma's bulk and attempted to lever his father into a standing position. "Where are we going to go?"

"We'll hit the open road, son. Nagano is a good place to train this time of year. Then we'll probably head back to China." Already a wild plan was forming in Genma's mind. They would travel the globe. Every stop would push them higher and higher. This would be the training trip to end all training trips. Ranma's skills would soar, and so would his own. They would be gone for a few years at least. Then, and only then, would he come back here and show Soun a thing or two.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea, Dad." Ranma saw the look in his father's eye and he took his arm off of Genma's back.

"Why not, boy? We've been here a few days. These people are no good. They are decadent and soft. Not true martial artists like you and I."

Ranma looked around the dojo and then down. "I don't think Akane's soft." He said quietly.

Genma's voice became low and dangerous. "So that's it then? This girl has her hooks in you and you're willing to throw the Art aside?"

"It ain't like that." Ranma said, shoving his father back. "She's just, I dunno, good."

"So what now?" Genma said angrily, pushing his finger into Ranma's chest. "You stay here and let the Tendo's tell you what's what?"

Ranma knocked his father's hand away. "Isn't that what you promised?! Mr. Tendo is gonna train me from now on. That was your decision, not mine!"

"Well, I'm deciding now: we're leaving! Go grab your bag."

Ranma looked at his father. Genma was clenching his fists. Even with the beating he had taken, some battle aura was still sputtering to life. The old man looked ready to punch his lights out. Under that, though, under the pain and weariness, was something else. Ranma didn't think he could stand to find out what right now. "I'm gonna go to school. You should, like, lie down and rest. We'll talk when I get back."

Ranma turned and walked through the dojo door. Ranma didn't notice as Genma started forward for a moment, but then turned his back and sat down heavily.

*********

Akane focused on her finger. She imagined that her entire mind, her entire being, was a razor sharp point extending outwards from that one place. She was the acumination of all energy, all being in the universe. Her mind was set so fine and so slender that, given half a chance, she would slip between the bonds of the very atoms around her. She was a needle, because she willed it so. Slowly, almost imperceptibly so, she extended her arm out towards the target.

"Bzzzzzzzzz!"

Akane slumped back into the waiting chair as the buzzer sounded on the stupid children's game. "Argh! I haven't got it yet."

Doctor Tofu patted Akane on the shoulder as he bustled about the practice. He brushed aside a curtain and filled a few herb jars next to Akane. "Don't get so discouraged. Look here." He indicated the small plastic piece inside of the board. It was shaped like a bone, but on one side there was a small black mark, as if it had been burned.

"I touched it?" Akane said, sitting up.

"Yes, and that is very good. But your chi stinger is not fine enough. You keep touching the sides. That's no way to win at the game of Operation!" Dr. Tofu laughed to himself.

"How much longer do you think I have before I master the chi stinger technique?" Akane sat up and shook out her hand.

"Well, you are progressing at a phenomenal rate, but there is a lot left to learn before you have it all."

"Like what?"

"You have mastered the fundamentals of pressure points, but there is so much more. Right now you are scratching the surface, literally. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of points below the surface of a person's body. Then there are the transformations for each of the 5 elements. Not to mention yin and yang portions of each transformation."

"Ugh. Is that all?" Akane asked sarcastically.

"That is why I am teaching you the Apian Fist. It is a shorter course than memorizing each point individually and it is much more damaging."

Without meaning to, Akane thought back to the fight earlier today. Akane found that she couldn't stop thinking about the wounds on Mr. Saotome's body. "Um, Dr. Tofu, does my dad know the Apian Fist?"

Dr. Tofu slid the board game over and sat down on the bed across from Akane. "No, no he doesn't. I've never seen it in action, but your mother mentioned something about the Poison Palm of the West. From the rumors I've heard, I know it is not a subtle technique, like the Apian Fist, but I cannot deny what I have been told about its effectiveness. Why do you ask?"

Akane looked up into Dr. Tofu's eyes and burst into tears. "Oh, Doctor!"

*********

Ranma was so distracted that he hardly noticed Akane join him as they both rebounded off of Kuno's face in the school yard.

"Hey, don't fight my fights for me." Ranma said, trying to avoid Akane's gaze. If her eyes weren't tinged red with sadness, he might have actually succeeded.

"I wasn't doing it for you. Nabiki was a little sick this morning and I wanted to keep up appearances. Plus, it feels good." Akane attempted a small smile.

"Whatever." Ranma said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked into school.

Akane stood still and watched his Ranma walk away. She wasn't sure exactly what she could say to Ranma to make him feel better. Akane wasn't even sure how she felt about the fight this morning. On the one hand, her father had been brilliant and devastating; she should really feel proud of the Tendo School of Indiscriminant Grappling. On the other side, though, the fight hadn't really been fair and her father had known it. One of the main tenets of the Tendo School was to respect one's enemies and never take advantage outside of combat. But this morning her father had technically acted during the fight, sort of. All Akane knew was the feeling she had in her chest when she saw Ranma's face as his father went down. She felt sure that she never wanted to feel that way again. Her mind made up, Akane ran after Ranma's retreating form.

*********

Author's notes:

Whew! That went a bit darker than I had intended. Still, I hope that I'm introducing the character dynamics in a new and interesting way. More to come on the Apian Fist. I have a lot of time right now, so chapters should come pretty regularly.

Always remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say!


	6. Oh Captain! My Captain!

Akane was not the best student at Furinkan High School. She was downright mediocre, to put it bluntly. Poor attendance, poor assessments and poor attitude all haunted her permanent record. Still, she tried. Her mother had always stressed the importance of academics and Akane wanted to live up to her example. But class was just so boring! And what she was being taught just seemed so unimportant. She, Akane, was the heir to the Tendo School of Indiscriminant Grappling. She needed to know two things, at maximum: kicking ass and taking names. After she had learned how to spell in the third grade, it seemed to Akane that she had the latter covered. Moreover, for the past few years, she had a growing suspicion that school was actually detracting from the former. But here she was, in class, struggling vainly to stay awake. If truth be told, that was all that could be asked of a person, right? That was really Akane's last coherent thought as her head drifted slowly, almost gracefully down onto her notebook. It was the final cruelty that the one bit of useful information she had written down during class was obliterated by drool.

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Six: Oh Captain! My Captain!

*********

"Akane, wake up!"

"Huh?" Akane responded coherently and sat up. Her notebook stuck tenaciously to her cheek and she scrambled hastily to remove it.

"Class is over. Didn't ya hear the bell ring?" Ranma was crouched on top of the next desk over from Akane's. The rest of the room was empty.

"Ugh. How long have I been asleep?" Akane was still a bit hazy as she tried to rub the drool off of her face. Still, she was glad that Ranma was talking to her. He had given her the cold shoulder before class, even going so far as to sit on the opposite side of the room.

"Since the middle of the Meji period. At least I think that's what we learned about in history." Ranma's expression was unreadable.

"Great, just what I needed. Let's grab our lunches and eat outside. At least the weather's still nice."

"You go ahead. I didn't bring mine." Ranma mumbled as they both walked out of the classroom. The halls were nearly deserted as most of the students had tried to cram in as much of the fine weather as they could.

"Oh, yeah." Akane said softly, thinking about the reason Ranma must have forgotten his bag. She was still at a loss over how to talk to Ranma about this morning. But she wanted to try. "You can share mine. I packed way too much."

"Sure, thanks." Ranma said, not looking at Akane.

As they had suspected, the weather outside was gorgeous. It was a little too hot, but a light breeze kept them both comfortable. Together they choose a spot on the athletic fields. Clouds drifted aimlessly overhead, creating patches of light and shade on the rich green grass. Other students dotted the slopped turf that lead down to the level playing area. In the center, members of the Judo club were arguing with the Boxing club about Nabiki's absence. Each side suspected the other of foul play and the whole mess eventually devolved into a congenial brawl. Akane set her lunch down between the herself and Ranma. It was one of her mother's specialties from America: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on soft white bread. Of course, her mother had a lot of specialties like that. Ranma seemed to relax a little bit as they ate and he started up a running commentary on the poor techniques both sides were using. Akane sighed. The afternoon was almost too nice to spoil. Still, there was no way to avoid it.

Akane pushed herself up to standing and promptly bowed towards Ranma. "I want to offer my formal apologies on behalf of the Tendo School of Indiscriminant grappling. You and your father were wronged today and I am sorry. If you wish to punish me or call for a duel of honor…"

"Aw, come on. That ain't necessary." Ranma said, his face turning red as he cut off Akane's speech.

Akane remained standing. "It most certainly is necessary. When we return home, I will offer the same to your father."

"Geeze, Akane. Would you sit down? First of all, Pops ain't going to be there when we get home."

"Why not?" Akane asked, reluctantly taking her seat again.

"He usually clears out when things go bad like this. He'll just hang around for a while and come back when he feels ready." Ranma noticed one of the boxers throw a particularly sloppy uppercut, but he didn't feel inclined to comment on it.

"But he shouldn't have to. It's not right." Akane said firmly.

"Your dad did beat him fair and square." Ranma's eyes grew angry as he thought back to the fight this morning. To Akane, his face seemed to coil itself into a scowl.

"But your dad was tricked, Ranma."

"Look, I ain't saying things were one way or the other. All I know is that we practice Anything Goes and my pops should have realized it." Ranma's voice sounded bitter, as if he was trying to rationalize things to himself. "I don't know how things are for you, but Anything Goes is more like a way we live than just a way we fight. I think maybe your dad lives that way too."

Akane looked straight at Ranma. He had his hands clasped between his knees and his knuckles were white. "What are you going to do, Ranma?"

"What can I do? I've gotta honor the promise my pops made. But don't think that means that I'm gonna roll over for the next year. I know it sounds crazy, but I need to figure out a way to beat your dad."

Akane's lip twisted into a sly smile and she caught Ranma's eye. "That's funny. I was thinking the exact same thing."

"Huh?" Ranma said, turning to face Akane. His expression was no longer so sour. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, for starters, I think we could use another sparring session. Want to help me clear some morons off the field?"

As Ranma gazed out at the field, some of the anger seemed to run out of him. Akane felt her heart skip a beat as Ranma smiled for the first time that day.

*********

Akane hummed to herself as she and Ranma walked home along the canal fence. The second half of the day had been much more enjoyable than the first part. After their 'workout', Ranma had seemed to cheer up a bit. They had passed notes back and forth during class, trying to dissect the techniques they had seen both of their father's use. Of course, they had been caught towards the end of the day, but the teacher had been too tired to punish them with anything more severe than a lecture. Though Ranma's mood had seemed to improve, Akane was still worried about what would happen when they got home.

Almost as if in answer to Akane's thoughts, the walls of the Tendo household appeared around the corner. Several mothers were milling in and around the gate. As Akane and Ranma got closer, a stream of children came running out. All of the children were dressed in white gi's with a multitude of different belts among them. Akane saw several of the children she taught on the weekends and she waved to them. Akane still wasn't sure how she felt about the formal levels of training. Anything Goes didn't really have a process of ranking. It didn't even have a recognized procedure for licensing instructors. At its most basic, Anything Goes had a fairly simple philosophy; the person who won the fight was the instructor. Still, when her mother had suggested the idea of belts, her father had gone along with it, at least for the children's classes. In the months that followed, Akane had noticed several times that the kids seemed to work harder for a reward in her classes. It also seemed to make the classes more popular and that never hurt the dojo's bottom line.

Akane weaved her way between the horde of mothers and children, saying a quick hello here and there. "Hey Ranma, let's head into the dojo. It should be clear until the evening classes start."

"See ya in there." Ranma answered as he vaulted over the wall, neatly avoiding the traffic jam Akane was stuck in.

"Show off." Akane muttered good naturedly.

*********

Inside the dojo, Soun Tendo was showing one of his more dedicated young students the finer points of the Spear Hand strike. "The key is to keep the fingers curved but ridged. The striking surface, the fingers, the hand and the wrist are all one. Maintain suppleness in the elbow and the shoulder."

Soun looked up as Ranma entered the dojo. Soun's expression didn't change, but he finished up with the student quickly, ushering the boy out of the door to his waiting mother.

Ranma stood near the doorway and glared at Soun. His body tightened into readiness. He didn't intend to start a fight, but he felt anger welling up inside himself, coiling in his stomach like a hissing snake. Soun, to his credit, did not seem to respond, but Ranma knew that the older man could be set at a moments notice.

As Akane walked into the dojo, she could sense the anger between her father and Ranma. Akane chose consciously to walk between the two on her way to the dressing room, breaking their eye contact. She hoped that she could diffuse the tension somehow. "Ranma, you can wash up in the men's locker room before we get started."

It seemed to Akane that minutes passed before Ranma stopped glowering and nodded his head. As Akane lead Ranma towards the back of the dojo, she noticed that his muscles were still tight with readiness.

Once inside the women's changing area, Akane inhaled deeply and tried to relax. The cedar lockers and benches that her father had installed years ago were aging beautifully. The smell of sweat and spicy wood always reminded Akane of the more infamous training sessions she had undergone. Akane opened her personal locker and took out her training gi. As she dressed, she glanced at the photo of herself she had pinned on the door. It showed her as a young girl, holding a championship trophy from her first tournament. Below that was the letter she had received from China. The yellow paper and archaic script non-withstanding, the message it contained always put her in the mood for training. As she cinched her grandfather's belt around her waist, an idea took root in her mind. Akane made a mental note to ask her father about it later.

Back in the dojo, Akane found Ranma was already there. He was warming up in the center of the dojo. Her father was nowhere to be seen. Akane stopped and watched Ranma as he moved around the floor. He was weaving his limbs around in graceful arcs and carefully stepping around an imaginary circle. Akane was familiar with Ba Gua, but Ranma seemed to have put his own personal spin on it. Akane found herself mesmerized by Ranma's soft, gentle movements. It was really too bad that she was going to have to pound his face in when they sparred next.

Soun Tendo entered the dojo with a bundle in his arms. He set it down off to the side and straightened up. "Both of you, come over here."

Ranma finished up his form and joined Akane, who gone to kneel in front of her father. Ranma choose to remain standing.

"Let me make this clear: you are both here to be trained. As you know, I believe that I can make you into the best fighters you can be. I expect you to be here every day, working hard and pushing yourselves. I expect no less than complete dedication."

"Sure, whatever." Ranma said, turning away from Soun.

"Ranma, I am not done talking." Soun's voice had a razor's edge to it.

"Yeah? Well, I'm done listening. Let's spar." Ranma dropped back into a fighting stance.

"If you insist." Soun said, bending over to his bundle and retrieving a thermos. "Just one thing first."

Ranma had too much experience with water to be taken off guard; he dodged back as Soun unleashed the contents of the thermos, but his target was not Ranma. Akane shrieked from the cold and surprise as the water struck her full in the face.

"What the hell, Daddy?!" Akane yelled, springing to her feet.

Akane stopped. Her voice sounded odd, deeper and more resonant that before. Her body seemed different, too. Her gi was too short and too tight. She threw open the lapels of her top, looked down at her empty sports bra and screamed.

Ranma stood paralyzed for a moment. He had watched the change a hundred or more times as his father had gone from Panda to man. Still, it was much more unsettling to see Akane's body shift and rearrange itself. The change was fast, but he could see her hips slim and her shoulders broaden. Her jaw squared itself and her ponytail shortened into a crew cut. Ranma would think back later that night and wonder why, as he attacked Soun in anger, he didn't give a single thought to a cure for himself.

Soun's iron grip caught Ranma's fist and twisted it into a pain hold. The softness of Soun's voice belied his almost superhuman strength as he bent Ranma nearly in half. "It's just temporary."

"Let go of me!" Ranma shouted, his voice strained from the pain he was feeling.

Akane stepped forward and confronted her father. Despite her shock, she took some satisfaction in towering over both men in her new form. "What do you mean, 'temporary'?"

Soun tried to sound patient. "It was a packet of Instant Nannīchuan, Spring of Drowned Man. It isn't permanent. Any hot water and you'll turn right back."

"But…" Akane's eyes betrayed her confusion and anger. "Why?!"

"The evening Ranma arrived, I consulted some friends in China about possible solutions to the curse. One of them suggested these and shipped them express to me. I tried them out and, even though they aren't a cure, I thought they would make a good training exercise for today."

"Daddy, that's crazy!" Akane shouted. She found that her male voice carried quite a bit further than her normal tone.

"Not a bit. We are always working on balance. Having to deal with a different center of gravity will do you a world of good. Dealing with different strength, different limb length and weight will all help you become more adaptable. Plus, I will be using those to spice things up." Soun's eyes flicked over to the remainder of his bundle. Inside the cloth were two squirt guns, one red and one blue.

"Let me guess, one is hot water and the other is cold." Akane said, crossing her arms and placing her weight on one hip. It was a decidedly unmanly bearing.

"Exactly. First one to change is out. Now then, when you are both ready: attack me!"

"Daddy, you have to let go of him first." Akane said impatiently, pointing down at a whimpering Ranma.

*********

Akane signed and stretched a bit deeper in a yoga pose. It felt good to be back in her normal body after the workout. She had been unsteady in her new form at first, but there were certain advantages that she had found. Longer reach and greater strength compensated for a general slow-down. It had taken her a while to find her sea legs, so to speak. As she and Ranma had attacked her father, her confidence had grown. The teamwork, as well, had been a little shaky at the outset. At first Ranma had seemed intent on attacking directly, probably due to his lingering anger. As it had become clear that Akane's father was too good, though, Ranma had backed off to re-evaluate. Akane had formulated a series of plans to distract her father, and they had nearly been effective, but he had proven as adept with squirt guns as with his bare fists. Still, the spray attacks had pushed Ranma and Akane to invent new and interesting ways to deal with water. In a split second block, Ranma had used a loose floor board to deflect an incoming squirt. Near the end of the fight, Akane spun herself so quickly as to create a mini-whirlwind and channel the water away. It had almost worked, and probably would with a little practice. Thinking about it, Akane supposed that the trial and error had probably been part of her father's plan. Put a student in a situation and force them to invent a way out of it: classic Tendo Anything Goes.

Akane pushed herself up and considered beginning another yoga form. Ranma had left a while earlier, claiming that he needed to soak in the furo for at least 6 months after the workout. Akane smiled, thinking of how he had grabbed a packet of instant Nannīchuan before he left. From there Akane's thoughts turned to her father. She was forced to admit that her father had some clever ideas. The transformation that she herself had undergone had shocked Ranma out of his anger about his father. Even the packets of Instant Nannīchuan themselves suggested that Soun had not given up on helping Ranma. Akane still wasn't sure how she felt about her father's behavior, but she was just a bit more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Speaking of the devil, Akane watched as Soun entered the dojo and began setting up for the evening classes. Even though Ranma was gone, Soun looked about hesitantly, as if he wanted to avoid any more conflict that day.

Fat chance, Akane thought to herself. "Daddy, I want to talk to you."

"Of course." Soun said wearily. He set down the Shinai he was planning to use later. He steeled himself for another argument and, knowing his youngest daughter, probably another sparring session.

"Why did you beat up poor Mr. Saotome?"

Soun looked taken aback for a moment. "Beat him up? I did no such thing. We fought a duel of honor."

"Oh, Daddy, don't lie to me."

"Do not accuse me of lying, Akane." Soun's voice was soft but suddenly dangerous. "You were a witness to the agreement and to the fight. You know exactly what happened."

"But that fight wasn't fair. You tricked Mr. Saotome into agreeing with you and then you hurt him. Daddy, you hurt him so badly." Akane found herself becoming more and more emotional.

"I had to do it Akane." Soun paused and took a step towards his daughter, willing her to understand. "It was for Ranma's sake."

"Mr. Satome nearly died!" Akane cried, bursting into tears.

Soun went to his daughter then and wrapped his arms around her. Akane tried to push him off at first, but eventually she gave in and sobbed into her father's chest like a child. Soun whispered into Akane's hair. "Sometimes, my little fighter, we have to harden ourselves to make things better."

"How was any of this better?" Akane asked through her tears.

"I did what I did to give Ranma a choice. I know that you don't understand, but you have to believe that I did what was best for him."

"How can you ask me to just believe you?"

"Please, daughter. Just give me some time and you will see that I did the right thing for Ranma."

"And if he doesn't think it's the right thing? Then what?"

"It is his decision. If he chooses to leave, he is free to go; I won't hold him here by force. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if Ranma had elected to leave with his father this morning until you both came home from school."

"So Mr. Saotome is really gone? Ranma must feel so awful." Akane gently disentangled herself from her father and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Genma will be back. Of that, I have no doubt."

"What should we do?"

"For right now, I think we will do as we always do: train and live our lives. I would like to ask you for one thing, though, daughter."

"What?" Akane asked.

"Be Ranma's friend. He needs one now, more than ever."

Akane's expression darkened slightly. "I'm already his friend Daddy. I wouldn't stop just because you and Mr. Saotome had an argument."

Soun blew out an exasperated sigh. He felt as if he had been taking more sighs than normal breaths in these past few days. But then he was reminded of something Kimiko's father had told him on their wedding day: daughters were heaven's way of reminding the righteous man not to get too cocky. "Of course. I never should have doubted you."

As Soun turned to walk back to the house, Akane stopped him. "One more thing Daddy."

"Yes, daughter?"

"Can I have the key to the scroll room? Please?"

Soun was caught off guard by the request and he looked at Akane suspiciously. "For what?"

"I want one of the Amazon scrolls."

"Really? Well, I suppose that they are yours. Just remember that you are not to touch anything else. Is that clear?" Soun reached between the lapels of his gi and fished out a thin iron chain. From off of the chain he removed an oddly shaped key and handed it over to Akane.

"Oh, thanks Daddy. I'll have it back to you by dinner time."

Soun watched his daughter run out of the back of the dojo and he wondered what new challenge the next day would bring.

*********

Akane walked down the stairs in the back of the dojo. It was dusty, but as always, there were no cobwebs. Spiders, Akane had noticed, tended to avoid this place. Akane shivered and thought she understood why. As she got closer and closer to the bottom, she felt increasingly uncomfortable. There was a chill setting into her bones that she knew from experience wouldn't go away for hours after she left. Akane had asked her father about it once, but he had only nodded and said that he felt the same way.

At the bottom of the stairs, a small hallway led to a metal door. If Akane had known more about metallurgy, she would have recognized that the door was not steel, but in fact cold wrought iron. The door itself was carved with runes and symbols. Some of the words were in Japanese and Akane recognized them, but others were in languages that she couldn't even begin to recognize. In the center of the door a leering demon face stuck out, taunting everyone who came down here. Akane grabbed the key from around her wrist. The teeth of the iron key were sharper than a normal key, almost like needles, and the sides had small runes carved into them. Akane took a breath to steel herself. She plunged her hand into the demon's mouth and felt around for the lock. The key seemed to resist for a moment, but she rammed it home and it turned with a hallow click.

Inside the door was even colder than before and Akane could see her breath. The passageway from the door was nearly pitch black, as if the florescent light from the hallway was afraid to venture inside. She carefully stepped over the line of salt on the floor and went over to the alcove just inside the doorway. Akane struck a match and lit one of the small oil lamps that she found there. She noticed that several of the lamps were low on oil and she made a mental note to remind her father.

Walking deeper into the scroll room, Akane's lamp flickered and cast dizzying shadows on the walls. The room itself had high ceilings and was almost as large as the dojo above. The scrolls were all to be found in cabinets at the periphery. Off to one side was a large cedar door. Akane knew that inside was her father's private collection of scrolls, but she had never been allowed to go in and see them. A red rope and a Shinto ward hung over the doorway. Akane kept well away, skirting the place on the floor where a line of runes ran in a semi-circle in front of the door. Even after years of coming down to the scroll room, Akane still wondered about the wards and the general creepiness of the place. Akane knew that her father was a little off when it came to Martial Arts techniques, but even so, all of this seemed a bit excessive. When Kasumi had first asked about it when they were all young, her father had launched into a cryptic lecture about the nature and purpose of the Tendo School of Indiscriminant Grappling. Every question generally met with the same long-winded and uninformative answers. Eventually, the sisters had stopped asking. But it didn't mean that Akane wasn't still curious.

Akane found her own private scroll cabinet and slid open the drawers. Inside were copies of the techniques she had mastered and even some that she had invented herself. Akane carefully moved these to the side and took out an innately gilded case. Opening the lid revealed several scrolls, all with labels in Chinese. Akane shuffled through the contents until she found the scroll she had been thinking of earlier in the day.

Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken.

Ranma was in for a surprise, Akane thought wickedly as she removed the scroll.

*********

Author's notes:

Ok, so I was going to try to make this chapter a little less angsty and a little more fun. That didn't happen. In my mind, the essence of drama is tension, so I've found that I can't really steer away from big emotions. But I also like the comedy and silliness of the original comic, so I will definitely keep trying to include that. There is more to come on the scroll room and also on secret Amazon techniques. Plus, maybe another R+A fight!

Always remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say!


	7. Just lob it over the plate

Ranma had never been much of a teacher. Life on the road and few friends had given him a dulled, some would say blunt, understanding of human nature. As for his role model, Genma had always taken a sink or swim approach to teaching. More accurately his father's method could be called dodge or get punched in the face. But Ranma felt he had been well trained and so intended to pass on his knowledge in the same manner in which he had received it: painfully. Though Ranma wanted to pitch in, Soun Tendo's advanced classes were no place for a fledgling teacher to embark on his career. But Soun, seeking to repair the rift between Ranma and himself, had been quick to acquiesce. Ranma was made assistant instructor to the senior class. To Ranma, the students were nice enough on the Monday when he first met them. Kaito, the fat, balding man who moved like a whisper and laughed like a hippo. Ayaka, the slight woman who fought with knitting needles and even made a scarf during a sparring session. Karu and Kiyoshi, the twins who were always either joking or snacking, sometimes simultaneously. And finally, Gorou, the ring leader: glasses like Buddy Holly, a voice like an angle and a body like Godzilla. None were a match for Ranma or Akane in a straight fight, but as Ranma's first week as assistant instructor wore on, the group began to chafe under his yoke. The harder Ranma pushed in class, the more the students resisted. The more the students refuse to give in, the more Ranma drove them on. That Friday, a cold and dry night, the issue had come to a head. By the end of class, Ranma had learned the truth behind that old Buddhist saying: 'A knitting needle in the thigh is just as painful as it sounds.'

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Seven: Just lob it over the plate

*********

"She stabbed me!"

"It was no less than you deserved." Akane said angrily, as she began cleaning the wound on Ranma's leg. Class had ended abruptly and Soun had ushered the students out hastily. Akane and Ranma sat in the center of the dojo. A discarded knitting needle lay off to the side. On closer inspection, the tip was wet with blood.

"I deserved it? What did you say that for?" Ranma winced as the iodine went on. As he looked down at the work Akane was doing, he noticed that her hands were pink and raw, with a small fire-blister on one of her knuckles. He couldn't help but compare Akane's hands to her mother's. Both were delicate but strong, and apparently they both got burned rather easily.

"Ayaka is a perfectly reasonable woman, but you kept pushing her and pushing her. She was bound to snap at you. I'm surprised the others didn't join her."

"That's crazy! The true martial artist should do what the Sensei says without complaint." Ranma said, repeating a line he had heard a hundred or more times from his father.

"Jeeze, Ranma. These people aren't like that. Ayaka can't be a full-time martial artist. She runs a yarn store most of the time. She isn't some fanatic like…"

"Like who?" Ranma demanded, looking sharply at Akane. "Like me? Is that what you were going to say?"

"I was going to say, 'like us.'" Akane shot back, giving the bandage a sharp tug.

"Ouch! Yeah, well, I still don't think I needed to be stabbed."

"No, you didn't. But you just have to learn to be patient with them. Sometimes students improve more when the Sensei steps back."

"And sometimes they learn better when the Sensei pushes them."

"You are so stubborn! Doesn't the fact that your student stabbed you mean anything to you?"

"Yeah, it means that Ayaka's crazy!"

"She is not! She just needs a good teacher."

"Like who?"

"Maybe someone like me." Akane said with a note of jealousy in her voice.

"But you teach the kid's classes." Ranma protested.

Akane finished applying the bandage to Ranma's leg and checked it over. It was just as her mother had taught her: tight, but not enough to cut off the circulation. As Akane looked up, she noticed for the first time how close she was to Ranma and she blushed with self-consciousness. Her hair was messy and she no doubt smelled like a workout. Even more disturbingly, Akane realized that her gi top was ever so slightly open.

Ranma, too, had apparently noticed and he was doing his best to look everywhere but at Akane. It was difficult with her perched right over his leg, but he managed. Even turned away, Ranma found that he could still smell the clean sweat on Akane and feel the heat from her body. Ranma saw Akane shiver out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look at her.

"Ranma?" Akane whispered. 'I've got an idea."

"An idea?" Ranma swallowed hard. He could feel Akane's hot breath on his neck and he started to sweat again.

"I know a way we could decide."

"Decide what?!" Ranma said, his eyes going wide.

Akane heaved herself up and began busily collecting the first-aid supplies. "Who gets to teach the advanced class, of course. Why don't we let our next sparring match determine it? I win and I get to teach. If you win, you keep teaching."

Ranma choked at the abrupt change in topics. "Yeah, um, sure. Whatever you say."

With the first-aid kit back in place, Akane smiled and walked out of the dojo. She didn't have time to see Ranma collapse flat on his back behind her.

*********

Inside the house, Akane found Nabiki in the front hallway taking off her coat and shoes. Nabiki had a large bag of books slung over one shoulder.

"Back from cram class?" Akane asked, grabbing Nabiki's heavy coat from her and putting it in the closet.

"Yeah. Study, study, study. Are you going to be coming next semester?"

"Ugh, no way. It takes too much time. I don't know how you can manage it."

"It isn't easy, but it's the only way I'll get into a halfway decent college and that's the only way I'll go to grad school. Plus there are other advantages." Nabiki arched an eyebrow to convey her meaning.

"Oooo, was he there again tonight?" Akane giggled and hugged Nabiki around the waist. They both walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, he had a biker jacket on over his uniform today. He looked so good. Do you think he drives a motorcycle?"

"He sounds like the type. Did you talk to him?"

"No, of course not. All the girls in the class just flock to him. Even if I could work up the courage, I don't think I could even get near him." Nabiki grabbed a soda out of the fridge for herself and tossed a bottle of water to Akane.

"Courage?" Akane snorted. "You fight all the men's teams every day, not to mention the Kuno himself. You'll talk to him next time."

"Those jerks are half the reason I'm going to cram school. I can't meet a descent guy in high school; Kuno would just kill him. Now that I can talk to a guy, though, what happens? I can't even form the words."

"Yeah, I know it stinks. Guys suck."

"No, just the guys at our school. Speaking of which, how are things going with Ranma?" Nabiki smiled at Akane over the lid of her soda can.

Akane didn't understand Nabiki's meaning, or else choose to ignore it. "Ranma's being a jerk. He is teaching the advanced class and doing a terrible job."

Nabiki looked suspicious. "Daddy is making Ranma teach the advanced class? We only ever taught the kids classes. Do you think Daddy's doing it because Ranma's a guy?"

"No, Ranma asked for it. Daddy said that he was glad to see Ranma taking some responsibility. I would have done it if I had known that I could."

"Huh." Nabiki looked thoughtful as she drained her soda can. "Maybe there's something to that. You know, 'responsibility', 'character building' and such."

"Yeah, well I don't think Ranma should have this responsibility. I could do better." Akane crossed her arms in front of herself.

"Just give him some time. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it." Nabiki tossed the soda can towards the garbage. It clanged against the rim and landed on the floor. "Or not."

"We'll see about that." Akane said, pushing herself up from the table with a maniacal gleam in her eye.

"Uh oh, I know that look. Just be careful training, ok sis?"

Akane bent down to grab the errant soda can. With casual savagery she crushed it in her hand. "It's Ranma you should be worried about, not me."

Slamming the can into the garbage, Akane headed outside to train.

*********

Ranma sat down heavily on his futon and looked around the room the Tendo's had given him. It was small, but to a person who had lived their life on the road, it was a palace. After his father had left, Mrs. Tendo had insisted he take this room to, 'have a nice place of his own.' And it was nice. Mrs. Tendo had clearly spent a few nights cleaning the place; Ranma didn't think he could find a speck of dirt in the room. And it smelled great: a gentle combination of sweetness and fresh flowers. Ranma looked up to the vase on the dresser and the artfully arranged bouquet it held. For the first time he noticed a small picture frame tucked behind the vase and he got up to investigate.

The frame held a picture of the three Tendo girls at the beach when they were younger. A short, girlish Akane was standing between Nabiki and a coltish Kasumi. All three were sticky-faced, holding watermelons and bokkens; only Akane's watermelon seemed to be intact, but all three girls were smiling in the summer sun. Ranma looked closer and he could see the lines on Akane's young face that would mature and change to produce the pretty girl he had come to know.

Ranma sat back down on the futon, picture frame still in hand. He wondered if he would ever have that kind of day, just fun and relaxation. As Ranma looked down at the picture, he considered putting it in his pack as a souvenir of the time he had spent here. But as he grabbed his bag and opened it up, he glanced at the picture once again. The girls really did look happy. Instead of squirreling it away, Ranma stood up and put the picture back on the dresser next to the vase.

After straightening the picture, Ranma reached down to his open pack and began putting his clothes away in the dresser.

*********

From Akane's perspective, weekends at the Tendo house were just as busy as the weekdays, if not more so. Children's classes took up much of the early part of the day for her. Far from being a burden, though, Akane loved teaching kids and she took her responsibility very seriously. She found it easy and natural to design games for the students to play; games that taught coordination, speed and strength. The kids, though, loved the silliness of Akane's methods and were always happy when the weekends rolled around. Even though Akane was teaching, her parents still kept on her about all her other responsibilities like chores, homework and above all else, training.

"Look Ranma, we have an hour before the next class starts. Let's spar."

"Not now, Akane. I want to practice this." Ranma was midway through another round of the Limitless Freedom form. Ranma was proud of how far he had come along, so much so that he could now complete most of it quickly without the chi overdrive that Soun had shown him.

"Come on! A week ago you said you hated forms."

Ranma flipped over backwards and landed in the splits. "Well, not now. Leave me alone!"

Akane stuck out her tongue at Ranma as he leapt into the air and began a series of rapid fire kicks. "I bet you're just afraid to lose."

The jibe seemed to snap Ranma out of his concentration and he landed awkwardly. "Hey, I ain't afraid of anything!"

"Then fight!" Akane dropped into a low crouch with her hands poised in front of her.

"Alright, alright." Ranma said, stopping the form and coming to the center of the room to face Akane. "It's just…let's not bet, ok?"

"No way! You agreed."

Ranma turned away from Akane. "No. I want to keep teaching. I'll spar, but I'm not gonna bet. This isn't…I'm not going to let you trick me like your Dad did."

Akane dropped her guard immediately. As she stood facing Ranma's back, she could feel her face turning red. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty that she was using the same tactics she had admonished her father for just a week ago. "Oh, Ranma. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… I just wanted a shot at the advanced class."

"It's ok." Ranma mumbled, still turned so that Akane couldn't see his face.

"If you still want to teach, of course you can." Akane stopped and looked at Ranma for a long time. She was still torn between her guilt and her desire to teach the advanced class. As she stood, Akane also began to wonder at the strength of Ranma's reaction. He was normally so hot tempered, but he seemed so touchy about this one thing. Eventually her curiosity won out. "Why do you want to teach?"

"I dunno." Ranma turned back towards Akane, but he didn't look at her as he raised his fists. "Actually, come on. Let's just spar."

Akane walked around so that she was in Ranma's line of sight. "No, seriously. Why is it so important to you to teach the advanced class?"

"Because, like, it's important to pass along the Art."

Akane looked at Ranma. Even though he was in a defiant stance, she could see that he was nervous and unsure, not at all like his normal demeanor. Akane realized that she would have to be gentle if she wanted the truth from Ranma. "Yeah, I feel like that too. Sometimes when I'm teaching the kid's class, I fell so proud even when they master something small."

Ranma let his hands fall to his sides. He had a wistful look on his face. "Totally. Like when the Sensei and the student are in sync, that's the best."

Slowly, Akane began to realize what Ranma was actually talking about. "Sometimes I feel like that with my Dad. The training is going so well and we just click."

Ranma almost winced when Akane said the word 'dad'. He looked down quickly. "Yeah, well, it seems like it's harder to click like that than I thought." And then softly, Ranma added. "I didn't think I'd miss it so much."

Akane could see how much Ranma was hurting. She tried to think of something to make him feel better. "You know, I think maybe it's easier with the kid's class."

"Yeah?" Ranma said, looking at Akane again.

"Oh, definitely. They're so excited and they really love to play." When Akane saw that Ranma was curious, she continued on. "You know what? Why don't you help me teach the kid's classes on the weekends? It's a lot of fun."

"That would be good." Ranma said and some of the sadness lifted from his face. As he looked at Akane, an idea seemed to occur to him. "Well, ya know. If I'm doing all this extra work helping you out with the kids, it seems only fair that you pitch in with the advanced class. Especially with all the crazies."

Akane's face broke into a radiant smile and she ran and hugged Ranma. "Really? Ranma, that would be so great!"

"Argh. Let go a me, ya tomboy!" Ranma wheezed as Akane crushed his ribs.

"Heh, sorry." Akane said, stepping back from a red and breathless Ranma. "Do you want to spar now?"

Ranma smiled. "You bet."

*********

If you asked Soun Tendo about the happiest times of his life, he would probably have more than a few tales to tell. He wasn't a giddy or flighty man, prone to outbursts of emotion, but he did know how to savor the best life had to offer him. The day of his wedding, though it had been an unmitigated disaster, always stood out as a memory of pure joy. With the birth of each child, he logged another wonderful reflection that he would revisit from time to time. And then there were the smaller, less profound, moments: the first time Kasumi had learned to ride a bike. The camping trip when Nabiki had fallen in the river. A particularly splendid Moon festival with his wife. And this moment, when he walked into the dojo and saw Akane beating the snot out of Ranma.

To Soun, Akane was radiant. Whatever technique she had learned from the Amazon scrolls of her's, he mused, it had paid dividends. To be sure, Ranma had grown over the past week as well; the boy was faster and stronger and definitely tougher. The Limitless Freedom form fit his style like a hand in glove. Still, Akane had shown even more phenomenal development. As Ranma charged forward, he may as well have been moving in slow motion. Akane's hands were everywhere at once: intercepting attacks, twisting them away and hammering Ranma. Ranma, to his credit, was fighting admirably, absorbing tremendous punishment to create openings. But again and again Akane was able to anticipate Ranma's techniques and return the damage ten-fold.

Ranma, frustrated that the fight was almost entirely one sided, backed off to re-evaluate. Akane pursued him, but was content only to intercept the attacks Ranma threw to fend her off. Ranma wasn't sure what he could do. Akane was so fast! Everywhere he attacked, she was there. Ranma, though, had been in hundreds of battles and he was nothing if not adaptable. As Akane pressed the fight once more, Ranma began to twist his body sinuously, attacking from at impossible angles.

Soun saw Akane slap down at Ranma's hand as a punch seemed to come out of nowhere at all. Ranma was using a bizarre combination of Drunken Monkey and perhaps Brazilian Capoiera. Even now, he had shifted his attacks, spinning on his hands while lashing out with his feet. Akane was hard pressed to anticipate the attacks, and pulled her defenses in tighter. As Ranma flipped upwards, an elbow caught Akane on the chin and sent her stumbling backwards. Soun had to admit, the boy was brilliant. Ranma was capitalizing on the one flaw in Akane's technique. She could move her hands blisteringly fast, but she still couldn't see any faster than before. Ranma's unpredictable attacks were confusing Akane and putting her off her guard. It didn't matter that Akane was trading blow for blow with Ranma, she still felt defeated. And yet, as Ranma closed in for the coup de grace, Akane lashed out. There was a sound like a tree crashing down and Ranma flew backwards, smashing into the support beam and collapsing, suddenly defeated.

Akane held up her hand in victory and her knees buckled, sending her to the floor, exhausted.

*********

Meanwhile, far out in the countryside, a young man faced down a wild boar.

Mating season had just begun and the rampaging beast had been driven into a frenzy by the expansion of a local town. The animal was at least six feet and the shoulder and its tusks had been sharpened to a razor's fineness in preparation for battle with other pigs. No other boar had been able to stand against it and in its fury at not finding a mate, the giant pig had run into the mountain town, crushing cars and seeking new foes to vanquish.

The townsfolk cried out for the bandanna'd young man, urging him to flee, or at least pretend to care for his own life. But the young man just looked on dispassionately as the giant pig bore down on him.

Seconds before the boar gored the young man, an umbrella seemed to come from nowhere, smashing into the pig's nose and stopping it cold. With a mere flick of his wrist, the young man sent the pig hurtling into the air. Seconds later it crashed down behind him, unconscious.

"D'you do them martial arts?" An old man asked as he approached, astonished.

"You've been practicin' up in thet mountain?" Another man said.

The young man held up a slip of paper. "Where is Furinkan High School?"

"Lemme see 'er." A farmer said reaching out for the paper. Behind him the other townspeople murmured excitedly.

"Say, ain't this Tokyo?" A younger man asked, gesturing down at the map.

"That's 500 miles north o' here." The farmer stated, more than a little amazed at the young man's lack of directional sense.

The young man sighed with a world weary shrug and turned away. "I see. Forgive the commotion."

As the young man walked out of the village, he heard the same comments he always did: lost, bad sense of direction, idiot. Even though he could crush the village in not time, his heart burned for only one fight. "Ranma Saotome! Prepare to meet me! You can hide from our man to man battle no longer!"

*********

Author's Notes:

Thanks to everyone who has given me C+C on the previous chapters, especially Crono Drago for suggesting that Ranma get his own room. On other thoughts, it was difficult to write a fight where Ranma loses, but I think Akane's determination and the Amaguriken would definitely win the day. While I know that Akane winning against Ranma will change relationships, the repercussions of that will be played out over the next few chapters.

Always remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say


	8. Going down, all the way

The Tendo dojo was built in 1874, just after the end of the Edo period. The original land had been given to Asahito Tendo, a lowly Asigaru who had proven instrumental in quelling the Shogun's faithful during the Boshin War. Asahito had been born into a family of limited means, barely Samurai at all. In his boyhood, Asahito would go without many, many nights to give his siblings whatever food he could scrape together. As a result, he was always a small boy, but he was known far and wide to have had the fight of at least 2 grown men. During one fateful day, Asahito found his older sister being abused by three Ronin over the theft of a crust of bread. Asahito flew into such a rage that he snatched up whatever was close at hand and began beating the men severely. The swords and spears of the Ronin proved no match for the pots, rocks and bare fists that Asahito used against them. After the men fled, carrying one of their comrades between them, Asahito and his sister were approached by none other than Saigo Takamori. Takamori had seen Asahito's fight and offered to have the young man trained in the warrior arts. Over the next several years, Asahito underwent countless hardships in training. As a result of Takamori's assistance, though, Asahito became a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, a difference of opinion about the future of Japan separated master from student just a few years later, and Asahito and Takamori became de facto enemies, though they never lost affection for one another. Although he never wore a Katana, Asahito Tendo was counted among one of the Meji governments deadliest men during the Boshin war. Subsequently, Asahito's efforts were recognized by the ruling party and he was given a small grant of land in Edo. Over the years, Asahito found clans of like-minded warriors, such as the famed Saotomes, and built a dojo to pass along the techniques they had pioneered. The dojo was a place that Asahito meant to stand the test of time. It is unclear why Asahito originally choose to import fire-hardened oak for the support beams of the dojo he created, but as Ranma lay dazed on the floor, he was forced to admit they had done their job admirably.

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Eight: Going down, all the way

*********

"Hits like a savage…." Ranma mumbled as he came to. Looking upwards from his supine position, he could see the place where he had struck the support beam. He was strangely proud that his body had even been able to dent the heavy blackened wood. As Ranma tried to sit up, he felt a fiery pain tear through his midsection. Panting, Ranma was forced to lie back down. After a few seconds, the pain abated and he gently tugged at his shirt to expose his abdomen and craned his neck to see where he was injured. Ranma groaned as his stomach appeared to be one giant mass of blue and purple. Gingerly, he tested his ribs and found at least two of them clearly broken.

As Ranma lay, he felt an arm slip under his shoulders and lift him gently into a seated position.

"Geeze, Ranma, you look like hell." Akane said, flopping down next to Ranma.

"Yeah, well, macho chicks always hit too hard." Ranma's voice was bitter, but at the same time Akane did not look much better. She was a sweaty mass of hair and bruises and she had a fresh cut under her chin from where she had caught an elbow during the fight. Some of the blood had even run down her neck and crusted over.

"That was a great fight." Akane said, trying to ignore Ranma's rancor. Almost as if to prove her nonchalance, Akane settled back onto her elbows.

"It was great? What were you trying to do, kill me?" Ranma said angrily.

"We were sparring! What did you want me to do, let you win?" Akane nearly shouted, giving in to her own anger.

"I don't need you to…" Ranma found himself at a loss for words, but he was still furious. His face twisted into a mask of rage as he attempted to push himself up to standing. Still, he groaned as red-hot lances of pain shot through his midsection.

"You should go see my mom." Akane said, her voice colored by irritation. Still, she put her arm under Ranma's shoulders and tried to lift him up.

"Get offa me, you stupid tomboy." Ranma said, shoving Akane away with as much force as he could muster. In that moment, Ranma wanted to hurt Akane, wanted to see her cry. "Maybe we should have bet. Then you could be just like your dad!"

Akane didn't step back from the weak push, but none the less she found herself struggling for balance after what Ranma had said. Akane did not fall, though. Instead she screamed and shoved Ranma back, hard enough to knock him aside. "Ranma, you idiot!"

As Akane fled the dojo, Ranma nearly fell back down, but he found himself caught, none too gently, by Soun Tendo's iron grip around his bicep. Soun was staring down at Ranma, a frown creasing the older man's face. "That wasn't very nice, Ranma. Go see Kimiko, now."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Ranma said, trying to shrug Soun's hand off, but the ache in his gut prevented him.

"This isn't a suggestion. Go." Soun released Ranma, turned on his heel and walked away.

*********

Once inside her room, Akane slammed the door and flung herself down on her bed. She was still stiff from the fight, but her pain was nothing compared to the throbbing ache she felt in her chest. Stupid idiot, Akane thought savagely, but the hot tears on her pillow betrayed the anger she felt. As she lay there sobbing, Akane heard a knock on the door and Nabiki's voice asking gently to come in.

"Hey sis, what's wrong?" Nabiki said as she walked into the room.

Akane turned her head to look up at Nabiki and managed to choke out two words. "I won."

Nabiki looked down quizzically at Akane. "I don't know about you, but I think that's supposed to be a good thing. Why don't you tell me about it?"

As Akane rolled over, Nabiki saw that her sister looked like crap. Akane had apparently taken a severe beating during her sparring match and her face was even puffier from crying. Nabiki could see where her sister's tears had mixed with some dried blood and stained Akane's gi and her bed. Nabiki sat down carefully on the bed and brushed Akane's matted hair out of her face. This small gesture seemed to make Akane cry even harder.

"It's ok, Akane. Shhhh. It'll be alright." Nabiki stroked Akane's shoulder and tried to sooth her.

Soon Akane's crying abated enough that she was able to get through a sentence. "I worked so hard this week. I just thought, I dunno, that Ranma would be…"

"Happy for you?" Nabiki asked, finishing Akane's sentence.

"It's stupid." Akane sniffed. "How could that idiot be happy for me?"

"Yeah, he's a jerk." Nabiki offered.

"But things were getting better." Akane insisted. "We were going to teach the advanced class together. I thought that Ranma was nice." A fresh wave of sobs wracked Akane's body.

"I know. I know." Nabiki whispered. "Ranma is nice, he's just…how can I explain it?"

Akane sniffled again and looked up at Nabiki. "Explain what?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but Ranma has made a lot of sacrifices in his life."

"So have I." Akane protested.

"You have, definitely. You work really hard, but think about everything that Ranma has gone through. He left his family, he's had no home. All he really had is the Art."

"So? Sometimes people are just better. I found a strong technique and I mastered it. I was smart and I worked hard. I deserved to win."

"Believe me, Akane, I know. But maybe you can see why Ranma is angry? You have this great family who owns a dojo, you are great in school, you're a better teacher than he is and now you're better than Ranma at martial arts. What does he have?"

"He's still a great martial artist. I don't even know if I can beat him again. Plus, I really stink at school." Akane was defensive, but Nabiki could see that her words were getting through.

"Ranma may have been a jerk to you, but you should cut the guy a little slack if you still want to be his friend."

Akane sat up and grabbed a tissue off of her nightstand to wipe her face. "I don't know if he'll still want to be friends with me. I don't even know if I want to be his friend now."

"I don't know Ranma that well, but I think he's pretty desperate for a friend. He'll come around."

Akane blew her nose and threw the tissue into the trashcan. The arc put the crumpled tissue paper in the dead center of the rim. "Well, I'm not going to apologize for beating him."

Nabiki looked over at the trashcan. She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I don't think you should. But just try to appreciate that he has worked really hard. It's like when we were kids. I used to resent you so much."

Akane's face dropped. "Really? Why?"

"I killed myself in the dojo and you always beat the pants off of me." Nabiki laughed. "My younger sister! It only got a little better when you started training with me. It showed me how hard you were working and you always pushed me, like you thought I could be great."

"And that helped?"

"Not at first, but it got through to me eventually." Nabiki leaned over and, despite how disgusting Akane was, she gave her sister a hug.

"Thanks sis." Akane whispered into Nabiki's ear.

Nabiki disentangled herself from Akane and made an attempt to brush off the new stains on her shirt. "Don't mention it. But seriously Akane, if you're so bad at school, how come you never go to cram class?"

"You don't know? Heh." Akane gave a nervous laugh. "My grades aren't good enough to get into your cram class. That's why mom is always pushing me. She doesn't want me to fail out of high school."

"Mom pushes me too." It was Nabiki's turn to get defensive, but Akane continued on, teasingly.

"She just does that because you're her favorite. You're the only one who could go to medical school like she did."

"Really?" Nabiki, not bothering to hide how proud she felt.

"Of course. Now get out of here." Akane said playfully and glanced up at the clock. "Oh jeeze, I've got to get cleaned up for the next class."

Nabiki gestured down at her shirt. "So do I."

*********

Ranma knocked weakly at the door to Mrs. Tendo's study. He was barely standing upright, leaning on the wall for support. He heard some rustling from within and a muffled sound that may well have been 'come in'. Ranma nearly fell against the door, pushing it open. Inside he found Mrs. Tendo nearly buried in a mountain of papers. The room looked like a library had exploded and Mrs. Tendo had been seated at the epicenter of the disaster. Mrs. Tendo was still dressed in her pajamas, her hair was mussed and it looked like she hadn't slept much the previous night. She was sifting through some of the books in front of her and didn't look up as Ranma staggered in.

"What?" Mrs. Tendo demanded without looking up. Her voice was tinged with impatience.

"Uh, could I get a little help?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, Ranma, I didn't realize…" Kimiko caught sight of Ranma and stopped. She stood up immediately, dumping the books off of her lap. "Oh, dear. Come over here and sit down."

Ranma stumbled over to the exam table and flopped himself down on it. He groaned as his ribs shifted under the weight of his body. Kimiko didn't say a word, but immediately came to Ranma's side and placed her hands on his chest. A familiar glow began to accumulate around Mrs. Tendo's fingers and at the same time a sense of warmth and serenity spread through Ranma's body. After another minute or two, Kimiko began gently kneading Ranma's abdomen. The pain was intense and Ranma writhed under Kimiko's strong hands. Just as the pain seemed to abate and Ranma lay still, Kimiko pressed hard on Ranma's side and snapped his ribs back into place. Ranma gasped at the sting and the suddenness of it, but almost immediately the ache subsided and he found that he could move more freely.

Kimiko looked down at Ranma. She was clearly trying to remain calm, but her voice was still sharp. "Ribs don't usually get out of place like that. Did Soun do this?"

"No." Ranma turned his face away as Mrs. Tendo continued to work on some of the smaller injuries he had suffered.

"Oh, I see." Another minute passed. "How did she manage to do this?"

Ranma hesitated, but then answered. "I don't know. It felt like she hit me about a hundred times with one punch."

Kimiko pressed a few acupuncture points to control Ranma's pain further. "That sounds like Akane. Tell me about the fight."

"Really?" Ranma seemed genuinely surprised that Mrs. Tendo would want to hear about his training. "Well, it was pretty obvious right for the beginning of the match that Akane had some new technique she had learned. Her hands were way faster than before, but I compensated. I threw her some moves she obviously hadn't seen and it put her off of her game. And then, right as I'm about to finish her off, she hits me like a ton of rocks."

"What were these moves, as you put it?"

"Ah, you shoulda seen me. I was using Taido, Wu Shu, and anything else I could think of. Akane had to take time to set up each speed punch. The way I was attacking, she didn't know which way was which."

"I see, you used her speed against her. That's very smart Ranma."

"Thanks." Ranma's face brightened for a moment, but then fell just as quickly. "But still, I got beat."

"Yes." Kimiko said, beginning to straighten out the chi flow into Ranma's abdomen. "But this is training. I am sure you will find some new way to challenge my daughter and she, in turn, will challenge you right back. You will both be better for it."

Ranma looked thoughtful as Kimiko turned away and waded through the piles of papers over to one of her shelves. She took down a clay pot and poured some golden oil into a pestle. After that, Kimiko grabbed several jars from the selves and began empting the contents into the pestle one by one. As she ground the herbs, a bitter scent filled the room and it made Ranma's head spin a little bit.

Once Kimiko seemed satisfied with the mix of herbs, she worked her way back over to Ranma. "Was Akane really that fast?"

"Yeah, it was like no matter what I did, she was right there."

"Hmmmm. She's gotten into the Amazon techniques already. That was quick."

Kimiko could feel Ranma's muscles tense under her fingers as she smeared the paste from the pestle onto his ribs. Ranma was attempting to look laid-back, and he may have even tried to whistle through split lips, but it was clear that he had something to say about the subject. Kimiko had learned long ago how to deal with sensitive men, so she didn't push. As she continued to work in silence, Ranma relaxed again.

"There." After Kimiko had finished applying the liniment, she had Ranma sit up and wrapped his torso in gauze. "If you heal as fast as my daughter then you only need to take it easy for the next few weeks. That means no training and no sparring."

"Come on. I need to train if I'm going to beat Akane!" Ranma protested.

"Well, I'm afraid that's not going to happen for a while yet."

"Argh, what am I supposed to do to beat that stupid…" Ranma stopped himself as the expression on Mrs. Tendo's face darkened. "I mean, uh, I've got to get a lot better fast."

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but it stopped Ranma cold. As he sat on the exam table, he found that he could not think of an answer. Several things came to quickly to mind: because he had pride in the art, to be the best, to show everyone how good he really was. But none of those seemed sufficient to answer Mrs. Tendo's question. Maybe it was that she still looked like she had rolled out of bed and such lofty goals were too much for a Sunday morning. But more likely it was the way Mrs. Tendo was looking at Ranma, with a mixture of pride and concern, that seemed so familiar and yet so foreign to him. It was unsettling in a way that Ranma could not name. Ranma shook his head and said the only honest thing he could think of. "Because I need to."

Kimiko looked long and hard at Ranma. It was easy to see him as one of her own children, in need of help and protection. But Ranma was not like her girls, for good or for ill. There were things about this boy that she could not begin to fathom, but Kimiko felt compelled to try. She took another few seconds to consider her actions and then spoke. "Well, there are techniques you could learn without stressing your body."

"Like what?"

"Well, I think I have just the thing. My partner, Dr. Tofu, and I have invented a form that we call the Apian Fist."

Ranma cocked his head to the side. "Apian?"

"Like a bee, Ranma. Apian means bee-like. It has two parts, and neither requires that much movement. I think it will be something you can practice while you are healing."

"How can I get better if I don't really train?"

"Oh dear, you are going to have to train very diligently if you want to master this. Akane has been studying it, but she has not been very serious about it. I think if you push yourself, you might be able to surpass her."

Ranma cracked his knuckles and smiled at Mrs. Tendo. She was not entirely reassured as Ranma's aura flared to life, smoldering around him. "Sounds good to me."

*********

The next day, Akane woke up early to train, more because she was used to it than because she had a particular plan in mind. As she padded through the house, she thought about how surprisingly enjoyable dinner had been the night before. Ranma had been in a good mood, not laughing and joking, but at least pleasant. The odd thing was that he had spent the entire meal wearing sun glasses. The glasses were too dark for the indoors and they had made Ranma clumsy. Nabiki had made some joke about an American movie star, but Ranma had refused to take the glasses off. Akane wondered about the change, especially when Ranma choose to stay up late watching the Koi pond, but she was fairly certain this new strangeness, like so many others, would work itself out.

Inside the dojo, Akane found her father was already there. Soun was kneeling down in meditation, his eyes closed and his posture serene. He must have been working out by himself, because he was covered in sweat. In fact, Akane noticed, her dad looked downright beaten. There was a small rip on his gi sleeve that had not been there the day before. On closer inspection, Soun also looked like his shoulder was bothering him and perhaps there was a bruise at his temple. With no hint of how her father could have been injured, Akane shrugged and went up to her him. Seeing no other alternative, Akane knelt down in front of her father, mirroring his pose. After a few seconds, Soun opened up his eyes.

"Good morning, my little fighter. How are you?"

"Good morning, Daddy. What are we going to be doing today? Strength work?"

"Ah, no. I wanted to talk to you about your fight yesterday, particularly your new technique."

Akane beamed. "Wasn't it great! Ranma is still mad, but you saw me: I trashed him!"

Soun did not share his daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, I saw the fight and you were great. You won, but…how can I say this? You relied too much on your new technique and Ranma saw the very obvious flaws. If the fight had gone on for much longer, you would have lost."

Akane sat silently, stunned. He father was often blunt in his assessment of student's techniques, but he was rarely this harsh. More disturbingly, Akane knew that her father was rarely wrong. Even if he was brusque, he might have a point. "What do you mean, 'flaws'?"

Soun collected his thoughts for a moment. "Perhaps flaw is too strong a criticism. Your technique was powerful but it was also one-dimensional, flat, and lacking."

Akane found herself growing a little heated. She knew objectively that her father was just trying to help her, but his attitude was starting to grate on her. "Well, what do you suggest, Sensei?"

"I suggest you not take that tone with me." Soun stopped and wiped his face. "I am sorry daughter, you were brilliant, both in your choice of technique and the application. I am not trying to impugn your effort or your skill. Rather, I would like to help you take the next step in your training."

"Next step?" Akane asked, more curious than annoyed now.

"Yes. A real step towards mastery of the Art." Soun paused to let his words sink in. While Akane was pondering what was to come next, Soun stood up. He began pacing the floor as he liked to do. At times like this, Soun always found he could keep his mind clear by keeping his feet moving. "Consider this: there are few people as dangerous as the man who can see his own flaws and is given the time to fix them."

Akane remained kneeling as her father walked back and forth across the dojo floor. She thought about what he had said. "I think I get it, Daddy. I should have taken the time to analyze the Amaguriken before I used it."

"Is that the full name of the technique? No matter, you are completely correct. Tell me, what are the flaws of this Amaguriken?"

Akane bowed her head down in thought. She pictured the fight yesterday, not from the perspective of a proud winner, but with a jaundiced eye. She saw each blow Ranma had delivered and each blow that she had failed to deliver. It was depressing, but in a way, liberating. The day before, the fight had been about winner and loser; Ranma was angry and she was guilty. Instead, she now saw the fight as an autopsy and she was playing the role of the doctor. Akane found herself laying aside each layer of her match in a search for truth. She asked herself questions with clinical precision. Where had she failed? And more importantly, why? How could she improve?

Akane sighed and looked at her father. "For starters, I can only move my hands quickly. The rest of my body is just as slow as it was before. The other, and probably more important thing is that I can't react as fast as I can move. It leaves a gap in my actions where I am open."

"Good, those are honest assessments. Now for the second, and arguably harder, part. How can you improve those things?"

"Well, I guess we could…"

Soun turned back towards where Akane was still kneeling and made a curt gesture with his hand. "There will be no we here, little fighter. I will be leaving later today on some business. I want you to tackle these problems on your own. Show me what you have taught yourself when I return."

"Uh, ok Daddy. Where are you going?"

"To Australia. There is a scroll there I need to acquire."

"Alright." Akane said, standing up and walking outside on her own. "I guess I'd better get started."

*********

As Akane walked into the breakfast room after training, she noticed Ranma sitting out on the porch, still with the sunglasses on, still staring at the Koi pond. He was in the identical spot he had been the night before and, even more disturbingly, he was wearing the same outfit as he had been the day before.

"Good morning Ranma. Did you stay up all night?" Akane asked. She found herself still feeling a little guilty from yesterday.

"Huh?" Ranma responded sleepily, turning around to face Akane. "Whoa, your face!"

"Oh, real nice. I was just saying good morning." Akane huffed and went to take a seat at the table.

Ranma got up from the porch and maneuvered over to the table. He was much more agile than the night before. "No, I didn't mean that. It's just that your face looks so…I dunno, luminous."

"Really? Thanks Ranma." Akane blushed and laid a hand on her cheek.

"Um, you're welcome?" Ranma said, puzzled. He helped himself to a large serving of the eggs sandwiches Mrs. Tendo had laid out on the table. She claimed that they were another of her culinary triumphs.

"I don't think McDonald's counts as a specialty Mom!" Akane yelled into the kitchen while taking a sandwich for herself.

"Sure it does, dear." Kimiko said, brining out more orange juice to the table.

"Hey, is Nabiki up yet? She's going to be late." Akane asked.

"Right here sis." Nabiki said, stretching as she entered the room. She was still wearing pajamas and her hair was matted to the side from sleeping.

"What are you doing? Go get ready!" Akane chided.

"Why? I don't have school for another hour." Nabiki said nonchalantly, sitting down and selecting an Egg McMuffin for herself.

"What?" Akane and Ranma asked in unison.

"Didn't I tell you? I took a test to pass out of differential equations class last week. They just called with the results this morning while you were training. That's as high as Furinkan goes, so I don't have to take any more math if I don't want to." Nabiki winked at Akane as she took a nibble of her sandwich.

"So what are you going to do?" Akane asked, still not understanding, but clearly jealous.

"Well, I have it on good authority that high school students can take higher math at the community college, if they want."

"Where did you hear…" Akane stopped and looked at Nabiki's sly grin. "Motorcycle guy is doing that too, isn't he? Oh, Nabiki, you are so lucky!"

"Luck has nothing to do with it, little sister. And, as an added bonus, Kuno and all those idiots will already be in class when I arrive at school. Life is good."

"Oh, Nabiki, that is such good news!" Akane leaned over the table and hugged Nabiki around the neck.

"Hey, that's really great Nabiki." Ranma added. "Unfortunately, us morons still have to get to class. Come on Akane."

Kimiko caught Akane and Ranma at the door. "Akane, don't forget to kiss your father goodbye. He's going on a, uh…business trip."

"I already did, Mom. Love ya!"

*********

For Ranma, the end of every school day was like a new shackles of oppressive boredom and mind numbing inanity were thrown off and he was reborn. It was not that Ranma was a bad student. In fact, he was quite clever. Ranma just preferred to learn things on his own, rather than have a lecturer drone on about some topic or another. If Ranma's teachers had possessed a background in educational theory, they might have called this Student Directed Learning and Ranma would have been praised for his initiative; it was the way he learned martial arts and it was also the way he learned most everything else. Instead, the idea of learning-by-doing was actively quashed by the Japanese school system in favor of a regimented and entirely unimaginative curriculum. It was only after the bell rang that Ranma was able to go out into the world and actually learn anything at all. And so, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of monotony, Ranma came alive when the teachers shut up.

"Ranma! Stop!"

"Come and get me!" Ranma teased, moving away from Akane as fast as his injured side would allow him. The glasses were getting easier and easier to handle and Ranma moved like the wind through the student who were still hanging around the school yard. Suddenly, Ranma's sixth sense for danger tingled. He was a veteran of so many battles that it was almost impossible for an opponent to catch him off guard. Ranma's whipped off his glasses and his eyes flashed over the school yard. True to his instincts, Ranma saw motion on both sides of his peripheral vision.

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" Looking upwards, a boy was poised at the apex of a leap above Ranma, bringing an unlikely weapon to bear. Still, Ranma knew how much damage that he himself could do with an umbrella, so it was best to just avoid it. Without another thought, Ranma spun sideways, the only move he could accomplish without jarring his ribs. As the umbrella descended, the second blur in Ranma's visual field resolved itself into Akane, who promptly shoulder checked the newcomer across the school yard. The umbrella never even had a change to make contact and it was knocked away.

"Don't interfere in a man to man fight!" Ranma chided Akane.

"Do you even know who that is?" Akane snapped back, sticking out her tongue.

The other boy pushed himself up from the grass where he had been thrown and shot a black smile at Ranma. "Still getting girls to do your dirty work, eh Ranma?"

Ranma focused on the newcomer. He knew the answer to Akane's question but his mind still felt sluggish from the tedium of school. "Sure, it's, ah…you know…he's, he's, he's…"

"Don't strain your brain remembering." Akane said sarcastically.

"Just tell me one thing, Ranma." The new boy retrieved his umbrella from where it had been thrown. "Why did you run out on our fight?"

Ranma slapped his fist into his hand as inspiration struck. "Wait! I remember. You were in my class at my old high school. Ryoga Hibiki! Long time no see!"

"Answer my question!" Ryoga snapped. This was not going at all like he had planned. Ranma had clearly not taken the fight as seriously as Ryoga himself had. What's more, the girl with Ranma seemed to be making light of the situation and, even worse, she seemed to be a competent fighter.

"I waited three days at the appointed place." Ranma said, confused.

"Three days?" Akane asked, hiding a smirk behind her hand.

Ryoga clenched his fist in front of his face. Ranma would not embarrass him again. Instead, the whole world would know of Ranma's cowardice. "Yes! And when I came on the fourth day, you had already run away!"

"Uh…Ryoga, can I ask you something?" Ranma took a deep breath. "Why did it take you four days to get there?"

Ryoga exploded in rage. "Why you! Do you think I was out for a casual stroll for four days? I suffered to meet up with you!"

And again the whispering began. Ryoga knew all the words by heart, yet they still cut him each and every time the crossed some bystander's lips. He was a martial artist and his opponents should have the honor to face him in combat. How dare anyone besmirch him for such a tiny flaw? Directions were meaningless anyway. They would pay. No! Ranma would pay!

"Breaking a vow between men and running to China with your father!" Ryoga ran forward and slashed at Ranma with his umbrella.

Ranma didn't think he could move quickly enough to get out of the way, so he threw up his forearm to block. The impact of the umbrella was much heavier than Ranma had anticipated and he felt his side scream in protest. When Ryoga made no second attack, Ranma stepped back and rubbed the bandage under his shirt. "In other words, you want to finish our fight?"

"Finish our fight?" Ryoga said mockingly, snapping the umbrella open. "How feeble! This is revenge!"

And with that, Ryoga let the umbrella fly. Ranma was now aware of the heft of the umbrella, but he had seen how deftly Ryoga used it, so he was not caught off guard. Ranma calmly leaned to the side and let the umbrella pass by him entirely. Again, the instincts honed over years of training served Ranma well. He had a gut feeling about the flight path of the umbrella and so he leaned the other way as it came screaming back around. It missed him again. Ryoga's face clearly showed his annoyance as he adroitly snatched the umbrella out of the air.

"No matter what it takes Ranma, I shall destroy your happiness."

"My…happiness…" Ranma said mostly to himself, stunned. He turned to Akane, more to confirm than to question. "Am I happy?"

"Don't ask me."

*********

Author's notes:

Hey! I want to honestly thank everyone who wrote criticisms of the last chapter. I tried to use everyone's feelings about Ranma and Akane to make the dialogue of this chapter ring true. I hope I succeeded. In other news, I am really liking the way Ranma and Kimiko's relationship is shaping up. Finally, I enjoyed rewriting the first Ryoga scene. I felt like it would actually play out like the cannon, so I tried to keep things as similar as I could. But the big questions is: will Ranma be able to win against Ryoga with healing ribs?

Always remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say!


	9. The China Syndrome

Somewhere among the forests of Hokkido, a flock of birds startled and took flight. As they wheeled and soared into the sky, they screeched down at the boy who had disturbed their rest. Ryoga, the boy in question, couldn't be bothered with noticing all the avian rage that was being directed his way; he was too busy cursing his luck yet again. Damn Ranma! They had stepped out of the school yard to fight and suddenly Ryoga had found himself on a sandy beach. That was how it happened every time; he took his eyes off of his goal for one second and the world simply reorganized itself. Someone must have tricked him. No, not someone: Ranma. I shall have my revenge! Ryoga let himself indulge in daydreams of revenge for another few minutes, but then reluctantly pulled himself out of his fantasy world. He was getting nowhere fast. He looked up and tried to think where in the world he might be. Let's see, he was on the beach and now in the forest. Ryoga bent down and picked up a walnut that had fallen from a nearby tree. He must be in the heart of Tokyo! From there, though, Ryoga's thoughts invariably strayed from localities and geography, turning back to his hated enemy, Ranma. You did this to my life! You made it a disaster! Just like this walnut, so shall I crush your throat! Your time has come, Ranma! Cry Ranma, cry!

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Nine: The China Syndrome

*********

"Mrs. Tendo!"

Kimiko poked her head into the dojo from the yard. She was dressed plainly in blue overalls and her hair was kept beneath a red bandana. "Yes, Ranma?"

"Uh, can you take a look at this?" Ranma held out his hand. The weekend had come again and Ranma had time to devote to training. He was seated in the center of the dojo holding his hand up in front of his face.

Kimko pulled off the leather work gloves she was wearing and removed her shoes. She had been helping Ranma train in the Apian Fist and thus far his progress had been remarkable. Kimiko felt proud of Ranma and of herself, so she was anxious to see what he had done. Kimiko wanted to have everything perfect for Soun's return, but clearing the yard would have to wait. "Is there something wrong?"

Ranma flexed his hand and slowly, ever so gently, five razor sharp chi blades slid out of his fingers. As Kimiko walked into the dojo, she looked down at Ranma and saw his hand lit up with blue chi. She was immensely impressed that Ranma had been able to generate the stingers of the Apian Fist in such a short period of time. With her reticence, Akane had barely been able to generate one stinger with months of training. As Kimiko continued to look down at Ranma's hand, though, she noticed something was off.

"Why are your chi stingers curved?" Kimiko asked, squatting down close to where Ranma was sitting.

"I dunno. That's what I want to ask you about." Ranma flexed his hand and the blades slid in and out of his fingers on command.

Kimiko reached over and gently took Ranma's wrist in her hand. "That's cute. They're like little cat's claws."

Almost reflexively, Ranma snatched his hand back and the blades vanished. He cradled his wrist in his other hand like it was broken. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft with fear. "Do you think it's ok?"

Kimiko looked at Ranma. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking with the sunglasses on, but she was reasonably certain that this was another one of Ranma's secrets. The boy seemed to have so many! Kimko gave her best motherly smile and tried to reassure Ranma. "Well, they still looked sharp enough. I guess you'll just have to angle your strikes."

"Angle my strikes?" Ranma asked, letting his hands fall to his lap.

"When you use the Apian Fist." Kimiko dusted her knees off and lowered herself down onto the floor in front of Ranma. "You're progressing so fast. We really should discuss the next phase of your training. Why don't you tell me what you've learned already and we'll go from there."

"Well, for starters I've been wearing these glasses for a week now and I think I get the point of them. They help me see chi, right?"

"Very good, Ranma. They are actually designed block everything but chi. The lenses are made from thin pieces of red jade. You have to learn how to see the flow of energy in the world around you if you are going to be able to see anything at all. To be accurate, you are not really seeing the chi with your eyes, only sensing it, but it is a good metaphor. Go ahead, close your eyes and look at me."

Kimiko waited a few seconds as Ranma furrowed his brow and stared intently at her. "Hey. I can see you!"

"Perfect! As you have gotten better and better, the chi has resolved itself into meridians and acupuncture points, correct?"

Ranma fingered the glasses that were perched on his nose and opened his eyes back up. "Yeah, at first everyone was just sort of glowy, but now people look kinda like acupuncture dummies or something."

"Excellent. This part is called the Scent. You can sense the chi points and go right to them, like a bee to a flower. More importantly, you can see how the different meridians change into the transformations of yin and yang, not to mention the colors of the five elements. It is really quite clever, if I do say so myself. Moreover, we already know that you can make a credible Stinger, or should I say Stingers. What else do you think you need?"

Ranma took off his glasses and ran his hand through his hair. Mrs. Tendo was pushing him to consider the technique on his own; a difficult thing for any student to do, but it still didn't really feel like training. She was just too nice, too relaxed. "Um, I need to know what I'm doing?"

"Ha, well said!" Kimiko patted Ranma on the knee. "The last part of the Apian Fist, the Dance!"

Kimiko got to her feet and reached down to pull Ranma up with her. She noticed as she tugged on his hand that Ranma was actually quite heavy. Still a boy, to be sure, but beginning to get his man's growth started. He also still dressed a bit like a youngster, a youngster in Chinese clothing she amended, but Kimiko could see the places where his muscles would fill those clothes out in a few years: wider shoulders, broader chest. He would probably be quite a catch by the time he finished high school. Kimiko smiled to herself. She would let Akane worry about all that.

"The first two parts of the Apian fist are like a preparation for the third. Tell me, Ranma, how many acupuncture points are there?"

"Um, 108, right?"

"Correct and incorrect at the same time." Kimiko said, holding up her index finger and letting her own blue chi stinger extend slowly.

"Huh? How can it be both?" Ranma managed.

"There are normally 108 points available to the acupuncture needle. But our bodies have so many others, hundreds more, below the surface. When I heal people with traditional medicine, I use other techniques like moxibution or herbs to bring these other points to the surface. Then the steel needles can find them. The Scent and the Stinger obviate those other modalities. I can see the points beneath your skin and…" Kimiko reached out with her chi needle and punctured Ranma's abdomen. "I can reach them."

"What did ya do that for?" Ranma said as he staggered backwards away from the needle and then stopped. "That, ah…that felt nice. What did you do?"

"That was just your Dragon's Deep point. It will simply help your digestion, nothing special."

"So how do I know which point is which?"

"That is the Dance! It is really a misnomer, but it fits so well with the other two names. Though, I suppose that bees do dance to show each other how to get to the flowers, so I guess it does have some truth to it…" Kimiko began to ramble on about the lifestyle and pollen collection behavior of bees.

"Mrs. Tendo?" Ranma said tentatively, interrupting Kimiko's lecture. "What is the dance that I have to learn?"

"Oh, yes, of course. There's really no dance. I will teach you all the points and their corresponding effects. Come to my study tonight and I will lend you a few books to get started with."

"Great, thanks." Ranma said, smiling at Mrs. Tendo. "Wait, one more thing: how come I can see things that aren't alive with the glasses? Houses and tables and stuff?"

"Very astute, Ranma. You have heard of Fung Shui, yes? You do not actually perceive those objects, but rather the way that chi bends around them, like an outline. Do you understand?"

Ranma's eyes grew serious as he mulled this latest piece of information over. Kimiko walked back over to the dojo door where she had left her gloves and her shoes. As she was slipping her shoes on, she looked back at Ranma. "Oh, Ranma, can you go get Akane and tell her to help me weed the front yard? I want to eat outside when Mr. Tendo gets back this evening."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Tendo!"

*********

Ranma could feel the heat coming before he rounded the back corner of the dojo. Even so, he was taken aback by what he saw. Stretched out across the yard was a pit of red hot burning coals. The air above them was shimmering from the heat. Ranma threw up his arm over his face and walked forward. He saw Akane off to one side, standing just on the edge of the coals. She was dressed in her white training gi with the legs rolled up, like she was about to wade through a pool of water. Akane was focused on the coals and she appeared not to see Ranma through the fire. Just as he was about to reach her, she grabbed a bucket of water and emptied it over her own head, soaking her hair and clothes. Then, before Ranma could stop her, she ran forward into the blaze. Ranma wanted to shout at Akane to stop, but the words caught in his throat. She would be killed! He got to the edge of the pit and stopped. He couldn't help staring in open admiration. Akane was a blur, running quickly through the flames. Every now and then, she would kick one of her feet and a small object would go sailing out onto the grass. Ranma rubbed his eyes from the heat and looked again. Akane wasn't just running, she was doing forms! Seeing that Akane was in no immediate danger, Ranma skirted the edge of the pit over to one of the things Akane had kicked out. He reached down and yelped, withdrawing his hand. It was a roasted chestnut!

In another few seconds, Akane ran out of the flames next to Ranma. "Hey, I didn't see you."

"Yeah, I just came to get you for your mother. What's all this?" Ranma gestured to the fire pit.

"Training. Here, let's get out of the heat." Akane stepped over a few of the chestnuts and pointed around the corner.

Ranma walked back the way he had come and squatted down next to the rain barrel the Tendos had set up beside the dojo. "Is that how you got so fast?"

"Yeah, basically. But the pit is new: an Akane original." Akane beamed as she took a drink of water from the barrel. Her entire face and most of her body was raw pink from the fire. The heat had burned away most of the water that had soaked her gi and her hair. Even so, Ranma could actually see a few places where she was singed. Overall, though, Akane looked exceptionally proud of herself. "It's been really hard, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"You know what they say: if you can't stand the heat…" Ranma said jokingly.

"Oh, that's not funny." Akane said, flicking a little bit of water at Ranma.

"Don't do that, ya tomboy!" Ranma yelped.

"Don't call me a tomboy. You'll pay for that!" Akane said with mock seriousness, cupping her hands and sending a wave of water crashing out of the barrel.

Ranma twisted fluidly, moving out of the way. "Alright, alright! I give. It was a bad joke."

"Yeah, it was." Akane laughed and stepped away from the water. They both stood grinning at each other and Akane felt a small flutter in her chest, the same kind she had felt a few weeks before when Ranma had smiled at her. With all that had happened, she still had to admit that he was cute, in a rough and tumble sort of way. "Hey, how did things go with Ryoga?"

"Oh man, that guy." Ranma laughed again and put a hand behind his head. "We stepped out of the school yard to fight and bam, he was gone."

"Gone?" Akane asked, laughing along with Ranma.

"Yeah, he has a terrible sense of direction. He got himself lost again. It was like 20 feet."

"Poor guy. Still, what are you going to do about the fight?"

"What can I do? I'll just wait till he shows up and we'll have it out."

"I mean, are you going to train?" Akane asked.

"How? My rib's pretty busted up right now." Ranma looked at Akane. She flinched when he mentioned his ribs and even now looked a little guilty. Ranma thought he would feel glad at Akane's embarrassment but somehow her downcast expression just made him feel uncomfortable, like he was the one who had done something wrong. "I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."

Akane was still feeling remorseful, so she offered an olive branch. "I could teach you the Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken. It's just moving really fast. It shouldn't tax your body too badly."

"Is that ok? Your dad won't get mad that you're sharing secret techniques?"

"The Amaguriken isn't a Tendo technique, so how can he say no? I got it when I became an Amazon in China."

Even though Mrs. Tendo had already informed Ranma about the origin of the technique, he was still shocked. His mouth fell open and he took an involuntary step back, raising his hands as if to ward off Akane. "What? You're an Amazon?"

Akane, for her part, was entirely confused by Ranma's reaction. "Yeah. Honorary anyway. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Uh, no, no, no." Ranma stuttered, trying to hide his worry. "Like, um, how did that happen?"

Akane didn't answer right away, instead she studied Ranma's face as he pretended to look innocent. If Akane were honest with herself, she would probably admit that she was not the keenest student of human nature, but on the other hand Ranma was probably the worst liar Akane had ever met. She knew immediately that he was hiding something about the Amazons, but Akane had learned a little something about Ranma over the past few weeks. He never volunteered information about himself. Akane decided that she was probably going to have to tell him the entire China story before he would open up even a little. If that was the case, Akane resigned herself, she would rather play raconteur on the porch, preferably sitting down and sipping something cool. Motioning Ranma along, Akane lead him into the house. After a brief stopover in the kitchen, they settled themselves down overlooking the koi pond.

Akane took a long drink of her lemonade. "It was about two years ago, right before summer vacation. Mom had gotten word of some amazing acupuncture practices from China. These were high level techniques: memory manipulation, sensory treatments and things like that. She wanted to go check it out, but she found out from some old friends in Beijing that all this stuff was being done by a super serious tribe of warrior women, the Amazons, ok? From what we could gather, the Amazons didn't take very kindly to men of any sort, so Dad was out. I figured that anybody with that much knowledge about acupuncture had to know some martial arts, so I decided to tag along with Mom. Dad and I swam across from Nagasaki to Shanghai and Mom met us there. Dad left to go get some scroll or another while Mom and I made our way into the mountains…

*********

Akane pushed aside a low hanging branch and stepped up onto the summit of the mountain pass. Below her, she could now see the entire valley stretching out between the slopes of the adjacent cliffs. A thick carpet of jungle covered the valley floor, lush and green; a wilderness that looked like it had been untouched for thousands of years. Winding its way through the trees was a ribbon of blue and silver. At the last village the guide had told them to follow the river, but refused to come any further. He was afraid of what the Amazons might to do him and he had told them as much. Thus far Akane and her mother had dogged the river's path with no results. Akane was not feeling worn out, but Kimiko was no warrior and she had begun to tire after a week of rough traveling. Akane blew out a pent up breath and readjusted the packs on her back. She had begun carrying both loads a few days ago, just to give her mother a break.

Kimiko came puffing up the trail a few minutes later. She had taken off her denim shirt and her white undershirt was soaked with sweat. She pulled the red bandanna from around her neck and tried vainly to wipe some sweat from her face. Kimiko finally caught her breath and patted Akane on the shoulder she pulled even. "Any sign of the village?"

Akane took out a flask of water and after taking a long drink offered it to her mother. "No, not yet."

A small sound in the jungle behind Akane caused her to whirl around. Much to her shock, she found a tall, beautiful Chinese woman pointing spear at her. The woman was dressed in flowing multicolored silks, but her torso and hips were covered in black lacquered armor. The woman's shiny green hair was caught up into two buns on either side of her head by golden bangles. Akane marveled that the women had been able to sneak up on them at all. She growled something in Chinese.

Kimiko turned at the sound of the woman's voice and yelped. "She says to lay down our weapons."

"What weapons, mom? We're unarmed."

"I'll tell her." A rapid fire exchange of Chinese followed between Kimiko and the spear-wielder.

As the discussion dragged on, Akane became impatient with the steel spear tip that was pointed at her throat. "Mom, tell her to put her spear down or I'm gonna take it away."

Kimiko stopped speaking in Chinese. "Akane, no! If you fight with her, she'll try to kill you. These Amazons mean business. Even if we win, she says she'll hunt us down and kill us. My colleagues in Beijing called it the Kiss of Death. Just put up your hands and stay still. I think I can talk us out of this."

A few minutes later, Akane found herself with hands tied, being marched through the jungle at spear point. She was connected to her mother, who walked up ahead, similarly bound by a short rope. "Awesome Mom. We're doing just great."

"Just be patient dear."

The Amazon warrior, whose name turned out to be Soap, directed the two Tendo women through a secret path down out of the mountain pass and into the jungle. It was clear that the Amazons guarded their boarder jealously and the path they took reflected that. There were double switchbacks, traps, pits and more armed guards hidden throughout the trail. In some ways, Akane and Kimiko considered themselves lucky; they never would have made it through this stretch of jungle alive without Soap to direct them.

As they rounded the final turn, the jungle broke and the village opened up before them. Akane turned back to look and found that she could not see the mountain pass. The village was cleverly hidden so that travelers might pass it right by. As long as they weren't accosted by spear women, Akane amended. A nudge from Soap moved Akane along. The village itself was rather large and it bustled with activity. Akane could see women haggling in the streets, women shoeing horses, and an abnormally large number of women standing outside of a local bar, drinking. The men, for the most part, herded screaming children around the muddy streets and tried to keep out of the way of the fiercer looking women. The buildings themselves were clay and brick, but the construction was impeccable. Most of the structures looked like they had been freshly painted in bright colors and there were flags and banners flying all over. There was an air of celebration among the people.

"Where are we going?" Akane asked her mother.

Kimiko looked back over her shoulder and coughed. The jungle trek had been harder on her mother than Akane had thought. Still, Kimiko managed to choke out a few words. "The elders. We're being taken to see the elders."

"Let's stop and ask Soap what's going on."

Kimiko stopped to catch her breath and made some gestures around the village, pointing at the drinking women and the decorations. Soap looked impatient, but she listened to the questions and responded. "Soap says this is the summer festival. There is going to be a big feast tonight."

A few minutes later Akane and Kimiko arrived at the stone hall that stood at the center of the village. They were led into a large, cool room and they found themselves looking up at several wizened old women who sat on semi-circular riser. The women ranged in size from dwarves to one woman who appeared to be well over two meters tall. The elders, as they were introduced, were uniformly ancient and their dress was richer and more old-fashioned than that of the women outside.

One of the smaller women hopped forward while perched on her staff. Her balance was impeccable. To Akane and Kimiko's surprise, she spoke in clear Japanese. "Xo Pu, what are you doing? When you were put in charge of the village's safety, you were told to step down defenses. We are no longer taking prisoners."

Soap stepped forward and answered in Chinese. She stood tall and proud, and more than a little defiant.

"Speak Japanese for these people. They deserve that much after the way you treated them."

"Very well, elder Khu Lon." Soap said, also in flawless Japanese. "They violated our borders and they should be punished."

Soap's words seemed to set off a flurry of conversation among the elders. Several groups started arguing at once and their voices grew louder and louder as the minutes wore on. Finally, Cologne hopped up and down on her staff, banging the tip against the stone riser and silencing discussion. She addressed Akane and Kimiko "I am sorry, you have caught us at a time of transition. You are not our prisoners and you have done nothing wrong. Xo Pu, release them at once."

Soap drew a knife from her belt and slashed the ropes that bound Kimiko's wrists. Akane simply yanked her hands apart and the ropes tore from the pressure. Akane looked defiantly at Soap and the Amazon warrior made a move towards Akane, but then stopped herself.

Cologne continued. "Ah, I see some fight in this young one. Very good. What brings you both to our village?"

Kimiko stepped forward, bushing past Soap. "I have come here for your healing techniques. I have heard tales of them even over in Japan and I am anxious to learn. My daughter, though, seeks martial training."

"Interesting. Medicine is a good and noble pursuit. We have need of more information. We will trade you some of our secrets for your knowledge of medicine from the outside world, fair? Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for martial arts. We will not trade those secrets away for any price. I am afraid that your daughter had made the trek here in vain."

Akane looked up angrily at the collection of women. "Just wait a second! I came all this way and you're telling me you won't even spar with me? Just give me a chance!"

Elder Cologne smiled down at Akane. "Again, such fire! But no, we will not 'just spar' with you. If you battle us, you battle as a warrior."

"Fine by me!" Akane said, her aura flaring to life.

Kimiko pulled Akane back and whispered fiercely in her ear. "No, Akane. No way. Remember the Kiss of Death. They'll kill you. Just calm down"

But Akane was too angry to heed her mother's advice. She shrugged Kimiko off and pointed up at the elders. "This is ridiculous. You must train with each other, right? And you're not all dead, right?"

"It is true, members of the tribe do spar with one another and there is no bloodshed, but you must realize that…"

Akane cut Cologne off. "Then just make me a member of the tribe. I'll fight anyone you want."

Cologne looked down at Akane. Cologne's stare became piercing and even with Akane's anger, she began to wilt under the old woman's gaze. When the elder did speak after an interminable time, her voice was much deeper and more sonorous. Her words carried the weight of a speech practiced a hundred or more times, with the rhythm of a chant and the cadence of a dirge. "A women has come us. What shall we do?"

The other elders answered as one, mirroring Cologne's deep mantra. "Test her."

"She craves sisterhood. What shall we do?"

"Test her."

"Trial by man and trial by pain. What shall we do?"

"Test her!"

*********

That night, as the celebration of the summer festival reached a fever pitch, Akane found herself in a small hut off to one side of the main square. Outside, revelers drank and danced around a giant bonfire. There was raucous singing and drumming to set the tone for the night. Through a small crack in the door, Akane could see the women dressed in incredible finery, carousing in the flickering red light. They appeared to be having the time of their lives. If Akane wasn't about to face unknown advisories in a fight that might go to the death, she may have been tempted to join the fun and enjoy herself. To add to her anxiety, her mother was probably out there somewhere, no doubt worried sick. Akane stepped back from the door and sat down on a chair. It was the only piece of furniture in the room.

A small knock shook Akane out of her thoughts and an Amazon girl entered the room. She wasn't much older than Akane herself, but the differences between the two girls were marked. The Chinese girl wore a purple dress that hugged her burgeoning curves and then flared at the sleeves into loose, flowing strips of fabric. Every now and then the light from the fire outside would catch golden fibers woven into the fabric and the whole dress would appear glowing and brilliant. The Amazons hair was also a rich, deep purple that matched the dress and her tresses cascaded loose down past her shoulders. The girl looked at Akane nervously, started to speak and then stopped.

Akane grew impatient with the newcomer. "What?"

"I, Xian Pu… is here to tells about fightings." The Amazon girl said in broken Japanese.

Akane sat up in her chair. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, please tell me what's going to happen."

"You must know that weakest Amazon is stronger than all mens. Akane, you is to be fighting mens. All village mens." Xian Pu made a broad, sweeping gesture with her hand.

Akane looked worried, hoping that she misunderstood. "All of them? At once?"

"No, is one at a time. But all." Xian Pu nodded her head, emphasizing her point.

"Ok, I guess. What are the rules?"

"Is only few rules. Mens is weaker than womens; Akane must not kill or trial is over. If Akane gives up or knocked out, trial is over. " Xian Pu ticked off two fingers and stopped, seemingly satisfied.

"Fair enough, Shampoo." Akane placed her hands on her knees and pushed herself up to standing. "Let's do it."

"Is good. But name is not Shampoo." Xian Pu made a face and then repeated her name slowly. "Is Xian Pu."

"Oh, right. Xian Pu." Akane stopped herself and pronounced the name correctly. Xian Pu smiled reassuringly at Akane.

Outside, the women had largely settled down and the music was more subdued. Plates of food were being passed around by boys. Most of the women were seated at long wooden tables and they seemed content to gorge themselves in anticipation of the upcoming fight. Xian Pu led Akane through the crowd to a large clear space in front of the bonfire. The elders sat at a table off to one side. Khu Lon, the elder that had spoken before, raised herself up onto her staff and fixed Akane with a steely gaze. The crowd of women fell silent before the matriarch.

"Akane Tendo! Your trials will begin in a moment. If you fail, if you falter, if you give in, you will be expelled and never allowed to return. But…" Khu Lon held up a wizened finger. "If you succeed, you will be inducted into our sisterhood and the wealth of the tribe shall be yours!"

The women seated around the bonfire began cheering. Akane looked around at the faces of the Amazons and she was unsure. But as the cheering continued unabated, Akane felt heartened. The women seemed to be rooting for her to succeed. She smiled and waved a hand out at the crowd.

"Bring out the first man!"

A young man was lead out in front of the bonfire. He was wearing simple farmer's clothes and his face was covered in dirt. He looked terrified and cringed as the women in the audience made cat calls towards him. Akane almost felt sorry for this poor wretch, but she was wary of any trickery. Dropping into a fighting stance, Akane advanced cautiously on the man. As she got closer, she could see that his eyes were wide with fear and he was even shivering slightly. It was no trick. The man didn't seem aware of Akane until she was almost upon him. When he caught sight of her, he froze, his fists curled up into a mockery of a guard. Still, he gave no active resistance. Slowly, almost gently, Akane reached out her hand and then shoved. The man toppled over and landed hard on his rear end. The women in the crowd jeered and laughed. Xian Pu came forward and held Akane's hand aloft.

Akane had won. She hoped all the fights would be this easy.

*********

They were not.

The latest fight had ended and Akane gasped for breath. She bent down, pushing her hands against her knees to keep herself upright. Two Amazons came forward and dragged the unconscious body of the most recent challenger out of the battle ground. Akane had been fighting for hours and it was well past midnight. The men had gotten progressively better and better, with this last one being yet another incredible warrior. He had been a giant and a master of the meteor hammers. Akane had dodged furiously, exhausted as she was, racing around the bonfire and confusing the man. Finally she found an opening in the man's guard, striking him in the neck and knocking him unconscious.

Xian Pu bent down next to Akane and offered her drink. As Akane gulped down the water, Xian Pu placed her hand on Akane's back and whispered in her ear. "Next mans is last one. Is Mu Tzu. Strong, but has trouble seeing. He is using hidden weapons. Be careful."

As Xian Po finished speaking, the last challenge, Mu Tzu, entered the firelight. He was a tall, thin youth. Calling him a man was generous in the extreme, but he carried himself with an air of easy confidence. Mu Tzu's hands, and most of his body, were obscured by the voluminous white pattered robe he wore. Akane decided he must be able to keep an arsenal of hidden weapons beneath his clothes. Mu Tzu pushed his thick glasses up on his nose and regarded Xian Pu. He said something in Chinese that Akane couldn't understand.

Xian Pu answered back in Japanese. "Stupid Mu Tzu. Mens is not having Amazon honor. Akane will show you that."

Xian Pu's words enraged Mu Tzu and, as she stepped off to the side, he attacked. As Mu Tzu's hand shot out, a myriad of weapons and chains flew from his sleeve. Akane was caught temporarily off guard, but she was able to flip herself into the air, twisting her body into a tight twirl to avoid the bulk of the attack. Unfortunately, a heavy weight clipped Akane's knee and a blade glanced off of her forearm. She landed in a crouch and inspected the damage. It was a shallow cut, but it still bled. Akane stood and began to move towards Mu Tzu cautiously. Mu Tzu, having gained respect for Akane's style while watching the previous fights, saw that she intended to close with him and sent wave after wave of attacks towards her. Akane, though, was more than prepared as she weaved and ducked between the assaults. Akane kept her movements random, despite the pain in her knee, dancing back and forth, but always moving closer. As Akane drew within striking range, Mu Tzu lashed out with a yell of 'Fist of the White Swan', catching Akane with a glancing blow aside her shoulder. Akane, though, kept her head and pushed through the strike, elbowing Mu Tzu in the chest, clipping his jaw with an uppercut and spinning around for a devastating round kick. Mu Tzu was thrown backwards and a children's potty clattered out of his hands to the ground. Akane, feeling close to the end of her strength, knew that she had one last chance to win the fight. She gave Mu Tzu no quarter as she pursued him, raining down blows as the boy attempted to block. With a final strike, Akane felt something crunch under Mu Tzu's robe. That was the only warning she received before the bombs Mu Tzu carried exploded, throwing them both backwards. Mu Tzu landed in a boneless heap before the elder's table. Akane, however, maintained consciousness and was able to right herself in mid-air, landing mostly erect. She staggered once and held up her fist in victory.

The Amazons leap to their feet, cheering again. Akane saw her mother push to the front of the crowd and run forwards to congratulate her. As Kimiko reached Akane, she threw her hands around her daughter's neck and hugged her fiercely.

"Your father will be so proud." Kimiko whispered, her voice ragged with tears.

"Yeah, I beat 'em." Akane said and sagged against her mother.

Khu Lon stood up atop her staff and called for silence. It took the Amazons quite some time to settle down, but eventually they returned to their seats and regarded the matriarch.

"Akane Tendo! You have done well and proven your dominion over men. You have shown that you are fierce, but for the next test, you must also prove that you are a true woman." Khu Lon paused as she raked her eyes across the assembled Amazons. "The pain of childbirth is given to women to establish their superiority over men. To join our sisterhood, you must show that you too can endure pain. Elder Tu Pei Set, the honor is yours."

One of the other elders arose from the table and stepped into the firelight, approaching Akane. Tu Pei Set had long white hair caught up in a top knot and she had chosen a much more uncomplicated outfit for the celebration than most of the other Amazons. Her silken pants and shirt were simple, but they seemed to stand out in the flames of the bonfire. In Akane's eyes Tu Pei Set was perhaps a bit older than the other matriarchs, but it was so difficult to say. Like the others, she was ancient yet unbent by age. There was something about her face, though, that suggested a timeless wisdom.

Tu Pei Set came to Akane and laid a hand on her shoulder. Akane noticed in passing that the Amazon elder's hand was cold, even in the heat of the jungle night. "Those not born into the tribe must receive the mark of the Amazons, so that we will know you as a sister. It will hurt child, but that pain will pass. While I work on you, you must be still even though it feels as if your bones will freeze and your marrow boils."

Akane looked nervously at the elder for a moment, then out into the crowd. After a long moment, Akane nodded her consent. Just as Akane started to leave, she stopped and looked back at her mother. "Can my mother be with me?"

Tu Pei Set looked appraisingly at Kimiko. "I would not recommend it. This will be a hard thing for any mother to witness. If the tattoo is ruined for any reason, Akane will not be allowed into the tribe. She must have courage."

"Be brave." Kimiko sobbed and pulled Akane into anther hug, even more tightly than before. "Toothpaste, take care of my daughter."

Akane groaned with embarrassment and hugged her mother back. "Mother! It's Tu Pei Set, not toothpaste."

Tu Pei Set stared at the mother and daughter and then gestured for Akane to follow. The rest of the Amazons applauded again as Akane and Tu Pei Set made their way slowly through the crowd. Once they were outside of the ring of firelight, Tu Pei Set walked more quickly and Akane had to trot to keep up. Here, away from the fire, in the darkness, Akane's courage faltered. The village that had looked so festive and bright in the daylight suddenly appeared imposing as the buildings loomed around her. Akane looked at Tu Pei Set's back as the older woman walked. The elder might have just been waiting to get Akane alone. Tu Pei Set had promised pain and Akane had no doubt that she would deliver. Can I endure? Akane wondered to herself. What if Tu Pei Set tries to harm me? But Akane had no answers, only a deep hollow that was settling in her stomach. Akane tried to calm herself, to name the fear that she felt, but all she found were more doubts.

Just as Akane felt that she was ready to bolt, Tu Pei Set stopped at a small building and unlocked the door. "We are here, child."

Akane followed Tu Pei Set through the door. The room was low and cramped, filled with various objects that hinted at sinister purposes. The elder disappeared inside the darkened room and Akane blundered after her. A skeleton loomed out of the shadows and Akane jumped to the side, bumping into a row of shelves. As Akane turned, she saw jar after jar filled with eyes, fingers and even more nameless organs. She stifled a scream and put out a hand to steady herself. Under her fingers, she felt metal tools. Looking down, a row of wicked steel instruments gleamed in the moonlight. They were sharp and ready for a torturer's pleasure. A deep and cloying scent hung in the air, no doubt covering a rotted and foul stench. Akane turned to look for the door, determined to fight her way to safety, but she could see nothing in the inky shadows. Still, she would not give in and she crouched down in a tiger stance, ready for the fight of her life.

A glow flared to life on the far side of the room.

"What are on earth you doing, child?" Tu Pei Set asked, blowing out the match she had used to light her oil lamp.

"Oh, um, nothing." Akane said sheepishly. She looked around the newly lighted room and felt extremely embarrassed. The tools and items she had seen were not out of place for an acupuncturist's clinic and the smell was clearly coming from an apothecaries' worth of herb jars that sat along the far wall. All in all, Akane chided herself, it looked very similar to her mother's study, save for the jars of formalin and the distinct lack of a computer. Akane looked again and decided that, no, this room was also much cleaner than her mother's study.

"Very well, come here and lay down." Tu Pei Set gestured to the massage table she was standing in front of.

"Ok. Can I get the tattoo on my shoulder?" Akane said, rolling up her sleeve.

Tu Pei Set smiled and shook her head. "No, child. This requires a little more room than a shoulder. Please take off your shirt."

Akane felt her cheeks burning red again, but she was too embarrassed to say no. She pulled her t-shirt up over her head and flung herself face down on the empty table. She found herself lying with her head facing an empty instrument tray.

"It has been quite some time since I have created a mark, but I don't think I'm too rusty." Tu Pei Set bustled around the room gathering up supplies. The most basic needs came first: a cup of water and towels. Bowls of pigment came next and Akane craned her neck up to see what colors were being used. There were rich reds and oranges, a deep golden yellow and a bowl with inky black. Finally, Tu Pei Set placed a set of needles where Akane could see them. Half of the needles looked like glass or tiny slivers of ice, while the others were black iron. All of them were very long and deadly sharp. Akane laid back down flat as Tu Pei Set returned.

Tu Pei Set leaned over Akane and spoke. "You fought valiantly tonight, like a true warrior. During your training you must have had some experience with pain, so bear this in mind: we are purified in pain and through pain can we be reborn."

Without another word, Tu Pei Set began. At first, when the needles slid under her skin, Akane felt a bit of cool icyness spread over her back, countering the sharp jabs she was feeling. It was almost pleasant. Tu Pei Set continued to work, stretching Akane's skin and slipping the needle just down far enough to leave a drop of ink. Yet as the elder went on, the cold seemed to intensify. Soon, Akane could feel a bleak and dreadful chill spreading out to her limbs. Akane focused, intent on preventing herself from shivering and ruining the tattoo. But the cold kept growing deeper and deeper. As the time stretched out, Akane could feel her heart slowing and her thoughts were sluggish and weird. She knew that she had no need to shiver any longer, a bad sign of hypothermia. But the needles continued until, at last, she though she couldn't take any more. Then suddenly, she felt a jab of heat. At first it burned against the cold, but eventually a delicious warmth flooded Akane's body and she felt that she could go on. Akane knew something about survival and prepared herself for the re-warming as a wave of violent shivering almost overtook her. Soon, though, the shivering passed and Akane found herself growing hotter and more uncomfortable. Akane felt feverish and she began to sweat from the heat of the tattoo. Tu Pei Set wiped Akane's back over and over again to keep the moisture from interfering with the inking. The needles were sending traces of fire arcing through Akane's back and cooking her. She longed to jump up and douse herself in cold water, but she held on through the burning pain. Again and again, Akane bore down and concentrated, unwilling to fail. Finally, a cold needle pierced her skin and Akane sighed with relief, but she knew her respite would be short lived. Throughout the night the tattooing continued, mind-numbing cold to feverish heat; back and forth from icy needles to firebrands. And still Akane held on, willing herself to endure the pain.

At long last, as the sun's rays peaked through the windows of the clinic, Tu Pei Set laid down her needles in the water cup and rested. Akane lay still on the table, almost unwilling to believe that the pain had ended. Finally, she pushed herself up and looked questioningly at the exhausted Tu Pei Set.

"It is done. You have borne the fire and the ice in stillness and you are remade: a sister."

Akane turned and looked over her shoulder at her back in the mirror Tu Pei Set had brought. Akane smiled.

*********

"So that's it. I became an Amazon, spent a few more months there, training like crazy with all these different masters, and then I was allowed to come back to Japan. I try to keep in touch with everybody there: Xian Po, Mu Tzu and even Khu Lon write once in a while. I went last summer and they sent me back with some secret scrolls for extra training. I am going to go again this summer and probably for a year when I go to college. Xian Po told me that she might come to Japan to visit, but I haven't heard from her in while."

Ranma took a long moment to stare into his empty cup. "Do you, like, follow all those Amazon laws? Kiss of death and everything?"

Akane crunched on a piece of ice. "Not really. I'm a part of the tribe, but I'm one hundred percent Japanese. I think they get that; I do owe them big time, though. Plus, I don't think I could kill anybody for any reason."

Ranma looked immensely relieved, but he still had another question. "And, like, you're best friends with Shampoo?"

"Yeah, she's great!" Akane said, glancing sidelong at Ranma.

"I dunno about great." Ranma mumbled under his breath.

Akane, though, clearly heard what Ranma said and turned fully to face him. "Look Ranma, you're dying to say something about the Amazons. Why don't you come out and say it?"

Ranma fidgeted with his cup again. After a minute of stammering, starting and stopping his story, Ranma began in earnest. "So, like, it was just after my dad and me fell in the cursed pools…"

It was Akane's turn to play the rapt audience. Disoriented by the recent cursing and lost in a strange land, Ranma described how he and his father had blundered past Xo Pu's defenses and into the Amazon village. Perhaps Xo Pu was relaxing after all, Akane mused. Or more likely, she corrected herself, luck favors fools and pandas. And who was this guide, who had led them to such a dangerous area without anything in the way of an explanation? As Akane listened, Ranma came to the crux of the story: the fight. Akane knew that Ranma was good. Knew it in a way that made her bones ache, but defeating Xian Po in one blow? That was almost unheard of! Akane could see where the story was going, like watching an accident in slow motion. Xian Po had always been a bit zealous and a loss like that was too great an insult to bear. She would probably end up chasing Ranma to the ends of the earth and she would eventually kill him!

A flash of understanding caused Akane's eyes to widen and she stopped Ranma. "Wait. Just wait a second. You must have been a girl when you beat Xian Po, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ranma said, finished with his story. "You're not going to turn me in, are you?"

"What? No, of course not." Akane waved Ranma's question away as she became lost in thought about the implications of the story. "It's just…Oh boy."

"What? What is it?" Ranma said, sitting forward and staring at Akane.

"It's…ah, the Amazons have different rules about being beaten by men and women."

"Like what?"

"Well, if it's a woman, the Amazon has to kill her, right? But with a man, she has to…how can I put this?" Akane looked helplessly at Ranma. "She has to marry him."

"What?" Ranma exploded, jumping to his feet and dropping his cup by accident. "That's crazy!"

Akane was just as emotional as Ranma. "I know. Xian Po is going to flip out when she finds out that you're a guy! Oh, god, and then when she finds out that we're going to get married…"

Ranma froze and looked down at Akane. "What did you just say?"

"She's going to flip out! I've got to talk to her."

"No, not that. You said…"

Ranma would have finished his sentence, but at that moment a very dirty, sweaty and angry Kimiko Tendo rounded the house and came straight for the both of them. "Akane, what are you doing? Get your butt into the yard and start working! Ranma, I told you to go get her an hour ago! I've been waiting. Your father is going to be home any second and I want things perfect for him!"

Akane looked from her mother up to a speechless Ranma. She decided quickly that her mother was in no mood to be trifled with. Her conversation with Ranma could wait until tomorrow. Maybe she could even get a hold of Xian Po before then. But first, she had to survive her mother's wrath. Akane put her lemonade glass down and nearly ran to the front yard. It was only fifteen minutes later, as Akane was knee deep in weeding the flower patch, when she realized exactly what she had said to Ranma.

*********

Author's notes:

I got a little carried away with the flashback. I know it got a bit long, but it was a ton of fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it. This is also just another piece of the puzzle when it comes to why Akane is so good. The repercussions of the Amazon stuff will play out over the ensuing chapters. I kind of ducked the whole Ryoga thing, but in the cannon, he does get lost after he first comes to Furinkan and only fights Ranma a week later. The next chapter will definitely feature everyone's favorite bandanna boy and more awkward conversations about feelings. Oh boy!

In other news, I have a Ranma/DBZ fic that I put together a while ago. I was thinking about dusting it off and giving it another whirl on this site. Would you be interested in that sort of thing?

Always remember to take it easy!

C+C welcome and appreciated.


	10. Bread and Circus

Ryoga loved the mail. It was fast and efficient and there were post offices nearly everywhere on all the islands of Japan. They even had mail in the rest of the world! But more than that, more than simple ubiquity, the mail possessed nearly magical qualities in Ryoga's eyes. The process of sending a letter was simple enough; one would write the name and address on the envelope and provide a stamp. But with such humble beginnings, and such a paucity of information, the letter would be whisked away to the intended receiver. Such precision! Such speed! How did the post office do it? How did they hone in on the recipient of each and every letter time and time again? Who wouldn't appreciate the ability to find a destination the first time, every time? There were superhumans living among us, Ryoga mused, and they answered to the name Yūbin māku.

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Ten: Bread and Circus

*********

"Hey Ranma, there's a letter for you. From a boy named Ryoga Hibiki." Kasumi walked into the living room while she leafed through the mail. Ranma looked up and tried not to stare. Kasumi was wearing a very low cut red blouse and a white mini-skirt that hugged her hips. She had on high heels and her long hair was held back by the pair of designer sun glasses that were perched atop her head. The whole outfit did a good job of highlighting Kasumi's knockout figure. From the brief meeting a few weeks before, Ranma had known that Kasumi was a pretty girl and fairly stylish, but now he could hardly tear his eyes off of her as she tossed him the letter.

"Kasumi!" said Akane and Nabiki, jumping to their feet and running over to their older sister. The three Tendo girls hugged for a moment.

"Wow, oneesan, you look like something else," Nabiki said, stepping back and giving her sister a critical eye.

"Oh, this old thing?" Kasumi twirled around, feigning nonchalance, but genuinely enjoying the attention from her sisters. "Kenshiro just got into business school and his parents are giving us a trip as a present. We're going to Hawaii!"

"When?" Akane asked, shocked. "Do mom and dad know?"

"No, we're leaving for the airport in a few hours. The whole thing was done very last minute. I wanted to stop by and say goodbye."

"How long are you going to be gone?" asked Nibiki, not bothering to hide the jealousy in her voice.

"Two weeks," Kasumi giggled as she sat down in the living room. Akane and Nibiki sat down as well and began peppering Kasumi with questions.

Ranma snuck another look at Kasumi and turned his attention to his letter as the girls chatted. The whole thing was very formal, but it boiled down to a fight of honor. Ranma noticed that the required date of the duel was the previous morning, but he was unconcerned; Ryoga was probably getting directions from some hapless farmer in Aomori right about now. Still, it didn't pay to underestimate his opponents. He could always train a little more. Akane had taught him that. Speaking of Akane and training, Ranma still wasn't sure whether or not to take her up on her offer about the Amazon Amaguriken. If Ranma were to be honest with himself, he would admit that he did want to learn the technique, but his pride was still providing a rather sizeable roadblock. Ranma shook his head and tried to think of other avenues. The Apian Fist was coming along rather well, even with his discovery yesterday. He would have to consult Mrs. Tendo on what he had found out. Still, his ribs were still healing and a fight might end very badly. Ranma wondered if there was a way to delay Ryoga, maybe placate him for a little while.

"Hey Ranma, are you spacing out?" Akane came over and sat down by Ranma. Kasumi had gone to see her parents and Nabiki had returned to her school work on the other side of the room.

"Nah, I just need to deal with this." Ranma showed Akane the letter. "I wish I could remember why he challenged me in the first place"

"Well, you must have done something. This is more than an everyday grievance."

"I guess there was this one time…"

*********

Kimiko set down the tea service next to Soun and began to prepare a cup. She placed the burnished silver steeping basket into a worn, but still beautiful ceramic cup, smelled the aromatic leave and then tipped out a measured amount. After packing the leaves down to create a space for brewing, Kimiko poured all-but-boiling water over them. Almost immediately the delicious smell of freshly brewed tea began to drift up from the cup and fill the room. Kimiko wafted her hand over the steam to catch a deeper scent of the steeping process. When the tea was just strong enough, without a hint of bitterness, she removed the steeping basket to a waste bowl. The rest, as they say, was just details.

"Milk and sugar or lemon?" Kimiko asked, looking up at Soun.

"I think I should indulge. Just a bit of sugar, please." Soun rumbled, accepting the tea with his good arm. He scooted over slightly so that he and his wife could return to looking up at the newly risen moon. It was one of the last truly fine days of the season and Kimiko had suggested that Soun needed to relax after his trip to Australia. They both settled down onto pillows and gazed up at the celestial calm.

"How did you say that you broke your arm again?" Kimiko asked, removing the tea service to one side and settling down next to Soun.

"I didn't." Soun blew over the rim of his tea and took a small sip. This particular roast of tea perfectly complemented the hazy orange moon that hung low over Nerinma around this time of year. Soun murmured his approval to his wife.

Kimiko slipped her arm around Soun's back, careful not to disturb his sling. "I suppose I don't really want to know, do I?"

"Did your father ever talk about it?"

"No, but I think he wanted to. Some nights, I think he needed to. Please don't hold back because you think it might disturb me. I too was trained to be a…"

Kimiko stopped herself as the screen slid open behind the both of them. Kasumi slipped softly through the opening and closed the door behind herself. She had her eyes downcast, a look that was almost entirely incongruous with the outfit she was wearing. "Hey Daddy. Hey mom,"

Kimiko turned to look at her daughter, paused for a moment with her hand over her mouth and then stood to embrace Kasumi. "My word, Kasumi, what on earth are you wearing?"

Soun stood as well, walked over and put both women in a one-handed bear hug. "Oh, leave her alone Kimiko. I think she looks lovely."

"Really Daddy? Kenshiro picked it out."

"A man of impeccable tastes." Soun laughed. "Perhaps we could get something similar for your mother."

Kasumi giggled along with her father. Kimiko, though, didn't crack a smile. "I love to see you home, daughter, but don't you have midterms starting next week?"

Soun interrupted, gesturing both women back into the room. After making them both sit, he endeavored to make another cup of tea with only one hand. After several clumsy attempts, Kimiko and Kasumi began giggling together and Kimiko took the tea service away to do it herself. Soun winked at Kasumi and indicated that she should continue.

"I actually took all my midterms yesterday," Kasumi said, pulling out a small piece of paper from her purse, "I aced them."

While Soun took the grade sheet to scrutinize, Kimiko handed Kasumi a cup of tea and continued, "I am glad, but why did you do that?"

"Ah…" Kasumi paused for a moment, "Because I wanted to go with Kenshiro on a trip."

"A trip? That sounds like fun. Where to?" Soun said, handing the grades over to Kimiko.

"Hawaii," said Kasumi, looking up hopefully at her mother.

"Hold on a moment, Kasumi. Just you and Kenshiro, alone, in Hawaii? Where will you be staying? How can you afford to get two separate rooms? Just when are you leaving? How long have you even known Kenshiro?"

Kasumi wilted under Kimiko's barrage of questions. "We're leaving tonight, actually."

"Tonight?" Kimiko said, her voice rising. "And you thought that you could just waltz in here in that outfit and tell us that you're flying off to America with some boy?!"

"Now, Kimiko, just hold on a moment." Soun patted his wife's knee reassuringly. "Kasumi is a college girl. I'm sure she's old enough to make decisions like this on her own."

Kimiko, however, would not be placated. She shifted her knee out from under Soun's hand. "Old enough? How old were we, when we took our first trip alone?"

Soun sighed and rubbed his forehead with one hand. He looked up at the moon. Where was a little celestial calm when you needed it?

*********

"Mrs. Tendo, do you have a minute?" Ranma asked, standing in the doorway of the study.

Kimiko, still angry about her conversation earlier in the evening, stamped around her study. She was packing books and papers into a suitcase. "I've really got to get these things ready. Can it wait?"

Ranma stayed by the doorway, "I just wanted to ask you something about the Apain Fist."

Kimko stopped stuffing papers into the already overflowing pack and turned back towards Ranma, "Alright. Come in and sit down."

Ranma walked into the room hesitantly and sat down. He knew anger when he saw it and remained ready to run on a moment's notice. Still, his desire for answers warred with his reticence. "So, I was practicing some Bua Gua yesterday and something weird happened."

Kimiko stopped scowling. Her interest was piqued. "Weird? How do you mean?"

"I was stepping around the trigrams, like I'm supposed to, and I made a mistake, right? But as I looked down, to correct myself, there were all of these little colored threads of chi,"

"Threads of chi?" Kimiko asked, sitting down in her chair on the opposite side of the desk from Ranma.

"Yeah, like bits of silk, really fine. As I looked more closely with the Scent, I could just barely see more threads stretching out, leading away from the next position of the form. What do you think that means?"

Kimiko leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the desk. She spent a minute lost in thought, absently staring out past Ranma. When Kimiko did begin, she started slowly, "I'm no expert in Fung Shui, but it is true that people can harmonize with the currents of chi in a space, even create them. Maybe that's what this is. Couldn't you be tapping into a flow of energy when you perform Bua Gua?"

"I guess, but what does that mean?"

"Well, right now, probably nothing. I would keep an eye on it, though. It couldn't hurt to be aware of how your techniques relate to the potential energy of a place. Let me know if anything changes, ok?"

"I'll do that." Ranma stood to leave and turned back as Kimiko returned to stuffing books into her pack. "Um, Mrs. Tendo, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Ranma. I've already told the girls. Soun and I are going on a last minute trip tonight."

"Really? Where to?"

"Hawaii, for two weeks." Kimiko nearly spat.

Ranma shied back, "Yeah that does sound pretty awful."

As Kimiko looked at Ranma, there was something slightly ridiculous about his nervousness. He was afraid of being yelled at by a woman, Kimiko thought to herself. Ranma's nascent fear made some of the anger run right out of Kimiko and she slumped back in her chair. Kimiko waved her hand absently towards her books. "No, it really isn't that bad. I have some work I have to take care of, but it can probably wait till we get back. It's just…when you have children, sometimes it is better to tell them no even when they want to hear yes. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." Ranma scratched his head, "I guess everybody needs limits."

"Exactly. You would do well to remember that when you have children of your own."

"I'll, ah, try to keep it in mind." Ranma stood up from his stool and turned to leave the room. As he walked out of the door, he called back over his shoulder, "See ya, Mrs. Tendo! Have a safe trip."

*********

A light, playful wind whistled across the athletic fields at Furinkan high school. It carried the smell of flowers and freshly cut grass from a nearby field. Students turned their faces into the warm breeze and sighed. Summer was ending, but it was having a lovely time saying goodbye to the teenagers gathered on the sloping green. Only Ranma and Ryoga failed to notice the fine weather. But then, both of them were too busy glaring daggers at one another across the playing field to care about the last fine day of the season. A group of hopeful students were gathered around together off to the side, placing bets on Ranma and the newcomer. Hiroshi and Daisuke, two of Ranma's classmates and the bookies of Furinkan's little Vegas, were having a difficult time giving odds on either of the boys involved in the grudge match. Ranma was known to be a precise and dedicated fighter: he had crushed Kuno his first day, after all. But Ranma was injured; healing, but it was still difficult to say how it might affect his game. The boy with the bandanna, on the other hand, was a complete unknown. He had fire in his eyes and he had done something to win Ranma's respect, but who was to say? Still, the day was so nice and the yen were flowing so freely, Daisuke decided, why not give even odds and let the chips fall where they may?

"So, you've come at last?" Ryoga demanded, facing Ranma defiantly.

"Me? I've been here for a week!" Ranma shot back. He glanced around the field quickly to make sure everyone was clear and as he did so, he caught sight of Akane dressed in her freshly pressed school uniform, sitting next to Nabiki. They both smiled and gave him the thumbs up. It was nice to have his own little cheering section. Things had gotten a little better in the past week with Akane, Ranma mused, and she was still so darn cute. Ranma was so caught up in his own thoughts that he nearly missed what Ryoga just said. It was best not to let this escalate into a fight.

"…you cur!"

"Ah, look Ryoga. I'm sorry about what happened at school. Here take this." Ranma tossed out one of the packets he held behind his back.

Ryoga snatched the plastic bag out of the air and stared down at the contents, "What is this? A joke?"

"Fine, you want all your stupid bread. Here!" Ranma threw out the rest of the lunch snacks he had brought. Maybe this would be enough to placate Ryoga.

Ryoga held the growing pile of treats in his two hands. "You…think…this is about bread!"

"I stole your bread and I'm sorry. Let's just forget about it."

"How can I forget about the hell you put me through?" Ryoga shouted, crushing the bread and brining his umbrella to bear.

Ranma yelped and danced out of the way. Ryoga, though, was relentless, jabbing with his umbrella as Ranma dodged. The fight began in earnest and both combatants roamed all of over the field, rapidly spinning back and forth. Ryoga cursed, frustrated that Ranma was so fast. But as the chase continued, Ryoga began to notice something about Ranma: he was favoring his left side! Ryoga was an expert fighter and he knew the tell tale signs of an injury when he saw them. Ranma had probably hurt his ribs; he wasn't counter attacking because he couldn't! In a flash, Ryoga abandoned all pretense of defense and charged recklessly at Ranma.

"Wait a minute!" Ranma shouted, launching himself up and away from his crazed opponent. "What's this all about?"

Ryoga, though, would not be dissuaded. He smashed his umbrella into the place Ranma had been seconds before. "Because of you, I've seen hell."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ranma as he landed lightly across the field. It would probably pay to put some distance between himself and Ryoga.

Ryoga snapped open his umbrella and wound his arm back. "Do you think mere words can convey the depth of my suffering?"

Ranma, though, had seen this move before and he swiftly sidestepped the heavy umbrella that Ryoga flung at him. Ranma quickly checked over his shoulder to mark the flight path that the umbrella was taking. In that split second of inattention, Ryoga pulled the yellow bandanna from his forehead and struck. Ranma found his wrist bound and Ryoga's snarling face inches from his own. Ranma gasped in surprise: Ryoga still had another bandanna around his forehead!

Akane saw the fight going much as she imagined it would. Ranma was trying to be nice to Ryoga, giving him his bread back, dodging rather than offering a real fight. This just seemed to enrage Ryoga and he fought like a wild animal. It was clear that Ryoga had only one think on his mind: defeating Ranma. Akane watched as Ryoga had let his killer umbrella fly in a fit of rage. The umbrella arced past Ranma and flew out past the periphery of the field. Akane was sure that Ryoga wouldn't care if the umbrella hit any of the watching students and she was up in a flash, chasing after the errant weapon. Just as it appeared that the umbrella would smash Hiroshi into a drinking fountain, Akane managed to lay her hand on the weapon's handle. Akane's finger's closed around the rough wood and she was yanked aside by the umbrella' surprising weight, bumping her hip into the concrete of the fountain.

Akane regained her footing and hefted the umbrella. It weighed a ton and now Akane could see why: the top was made of steel! Akane turned back towards the fight. "Ranma, get away from him! He has the strength of a monster!"

Ryoga, hearing this over his shoulder, bared his teeth in a grim parody of a smile. "Looks like you found out a little too late."

As Ryoga struck, Ranma casually reached out and batted at the fist that was streaking towards his nose. Ryoga hit Ranma, but his blow had all the force of a wet noodle. Ryoga's arm fell slack. Ranma smiled back in Ryoga's face. "What? What did I find out too late?"

Ryoga shook his arm, but the limb refused to move. But he had not come all the way to let a little bit of paralysis stand in his way.

"You think this will stop me!" Ryoga shouted, lashing out with a kick. Momentarily surprised, the foot caught Ranma on his injured side and he gasped in pain. Ryoga took advantage of Ranma's weakness and began to beat him over the head, using his limp arm like a club. Ranma tried to fight back, to defend himself, but wounded as he was, Ryoga was just too strong. As strike after strike crashed down on Ranma, he caught sight of Akane moving onto the field carrying Ryoga's umbrella.

"Don't interfere!" shouted Ranma, flashing blue claws into Ryoga's side and leg.

Both combatants fell to their knees, Ranma from pain and Ryoga having lost all movement on one side of his body. Both boys looked at each other and snarled. But it was Ryoga who moved more quickly, lunging forward and snapping at Ranma with his teeth.

"You're crazy!" shouted Ranma, throwing himself backwards and slipping out of the bandanna that held his wrist immobile. As Ranma somersaulted to his feet, there was a ripping noise and he looked down. A huge rent had been torn in his shirt and even the bandage beneath was lying in tatters. As Ranma raised his eyes to his opponent, he saw Ryoga kneeling before him with a mouthful of blue silk.

"That was my favorite shirt." Ranma shouted, leaping up. He was on Ryoga in a second, pounding the other boy with dozens of blows. Despite the burning pain in Ranma's side, he wheeled around and smashed a spinning kick through Ryoga's face, flinging him away.

Somehow Ryoga managed, midflight, to work the feeling back into his paralyzed limbs. His arm and leg still felt distant and fuzzy, as if they belonged to someone else, but he could use them. As Ryoga landed awkwardly, he looked up to see Ranma perusing at full speed. This was not going as planned, Ryoga thought as he rapidly back peddled. Ranma was fast and strong where he should have been pathetic and injured. Was Ranma only feigning damage as a trick? No, even now as Ryoga dodged backwards, he could see how Ranma was compensating for at least one broken rib. It was no trick, Ryoga cursed inwardly; Ranma was that good. It was just a matter of time before Ranma was on him again. Ryoga slipped past another flying kick and desperately searched the field for an advantage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl who had smiled at Ranma standing next to a drinking fountain. She was holding his umbrella! Ryoga gave a cunning smile as he whipped dozens of bandannas off of his head and sent them spinning towards Ranma. Let Ranma deal with that, Ryoga thought as he made a mad dash across the grass.

"Give me that!" shouted Ryoga as he reached the girl, snatching at the handle of his umbrella.

As Ryoga turned to face Ranma, he felt a tug that brought him up short. He looked back and found that the girl was still holding onto the umbrella's handle, yanking it back. Ryoga pulled again, counting on his superior strength. The girl was stronger than she looked, though, and she refused to relinquish her hold. Glancing over his shoulder, Ryoga saw that Ranma was now airborne, streaking towards them. He really had no choice.

"Let go!" Ryoga shouted, kicking the girl full in the stomach and sending her tumbling backwards.

Ranma wavered in midair as he saw Ryoga knock Akane down. Ryoga, on the other hand, did not falter and spun back, smashing Ranma aside with the umbrella. Unready for the sudden blow, Ranma crashed through the concrete drinking fountain. He felt a snap as something in his side gave way. The burning pain nearly knocked him unconscious, but a torrent of icy water from the destroyed fountain kept him awake as it shot him into the sky. Ryoga, for his part, flipped open his umbrella and deflected the water as he leapt to safety. Ranma had no such luck and he, now transformed into a she, crashed down onto the turf.

Akane was up and at Ranma's side in a flash. Ranma noticed that Akane's uniform was soaked from the fountain as she bent down. "Here, let me help you up."

Ranma winced, but let Akane help her to her feet. As Ranma disentangled herself, Akane could hear a touch of steel in the redhead's voice. "I know he hit ya too, but you shouldn't interfere in a man to man fight."

"I know, I just…" Akane started and then stopped. This was a fight of honor, she had to remind herself. It was difficult, with as terrible as Ranma looked. Beneath the redhead's torn shirt, Akane could see the black and blue of a new bruise overlaying the sickly green of the injury that had already been healing. But Ranma was standing on her own two feet, defiant, and Akane didn't think she could take that away. Akane leaned in and whispered as she let Ranma go. "Beat the snot out of him."

"A man to man fight?" Ryoga interjected, laughing. He had been standing off to the side and had seen the entire transformation. "It looks like we're one short, Ranma."

"You like hitting girls, so it shouldn't be a problem," Ranma shot back, staggering slightly to one side. "And so what? Go ahead and laugh! Maybe you've had it bad, but look at me. Look what this curse had done to my body!"

"You call that a curse!" Ryoga laughed, yanking off several more of his bandannas. He began to spin them lazily in the air with one hand. "Whining about your misery with such an adorable figure!"

Ranma coughed and his side seized up in pain as Ryoga rambled on. It was hopeless. He was just too tired. His ribs ached too much. Ranma knew that there was no way that he could possibly avoid every single one of Ryoga's attacks. And even if he did, how could he get past Ryoga's defenses? Ranma cursed. He could even see the Begger's Bait point on Ryoga's torso, lit up like a clown's nose, teasing him. All he would have to do is tap that stupid spot and Ryoga would go down. As Ranma focused on the chi point, however, his vision began to grow a bit darker around the edges. He was fading. Ranma shook his head to clear it, but his thoughts began to wander. It looked like the chi point was drawing in all the color from the world around him. As his vision dimmed, Ranma saw a small thread of color, barely visible, extending out from the point on Ryoga's chest. Stupidly, Ranma followed the thread with his eyes. Several times he lost it, but eventually Ranma found that the thread led back to his own index finger.

"This fight is over!" screamed Ryoga. With savage glee, he heaved his heavy umbrella straight at Ranma and at the same time launched the razor sharp bandannas into a dozen different arcs. As Ranma watched the maelstrom of slaughter explode out towards him, he saw the thread twist and weave, marking a clear path through the barrage. Inexplicably, Ranma felt a compulsion to chase down the thread.

Ranma, seeing no other alternative, threw his body towards Ryoga, coiling in the path of the thread. As the umbrella streaked forward, Ranma curled himself around it in midleap, feeling the heavy steel tip brush past him with crushing force. Several of the bandannas ripped through Ranma's clothing, scoring the skin, but ultimately leaving him uncut. Ryoga's eyes widened as Ranma burst through storm of weapons. Ryoga had no time to shield himself, merely throwing up his hands to ward Ranma off. The thread, though, bent around Ryoga's defenses and Ranma struck.

*********

Akane wrapped her arm around Ranma's petite waist and heaved the redhead up to standing. The rest of the student body were already on their feet, cheering. It was seldom that anyone saw a fight the likes of which had been waged today. Daisuke and Hiroshi were already declaring it the battle of the century. Several of the more excited students ran onto the field to congratulate Ranma, but they were brought up short by a look from Akane.

"Hey, Akane, I won." Ranma said, sagging against Akane's arm. Akane, for her part, didn't seem in too big a hurry to let go.

"Yeah, Ranma, you won."

"Can I get a rematch with you?" Ranma asked.

Akane chuckled a bit and smiled down at Ranma. "Maybe later. What should we do about this guy?"

Ranma looked where Akane was nudging Ryoga's prone form none too gently with her foot. "I say we let him sleep it off. The Begger's Bait point hits like a ton of booze. He's going to have a pretty severe hangover when he wakes up."

"He deserves it," said Akane as she helped Ranma step over Ryoga's inebriated body. "Home?"

"Yeah, home."

As they walked off of the playing field, Akane supporting Ranma's weight, the warm, playful wind sprang up again. It blew Akane's hair wildly, whipping it back and forth. She stopped for a moment to gather it up, one handed, into a pony tail. After Akane had gotten her locks back under control, she leaned down to Ranma, "Hey, Ranma, do you think I need a hair cut?"

"Nah, it looks good like this."

*********

Author's notes:

Please pardon my little joke at the end. It was very difficult to cut out the part where Akane loses her hair, so to speak. But I also felt as if that scene and the ones that followed were part of Akane growing up a little bit in the cannon. My Akane is a different character and while she still has a good bit of growing up to do, it is going to happen in an entirely different way.

More on Kimiko's father and what he did later. I promise that it will be good. As for other character changes, Kasumi definitely has a different personality in this little story and I tried very hard to show that. She's a bit of a daddy's girl and a bit of a flirt. That came out here. In other news, I tried to make this fight between Ranma and Ryoga my own and I think I succeeded. I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I say!


	11. If you like Piña Colada

Few things were as important to Ranma Saotome as winning. It was his passion, his goal and his muse. Most people hate to lose, but what set Ranma apart from the common rabble was his drive towards triumph: his Nike, in the classical Grecian sense. This is not to say that Ranma didn't appreciate the finer things in life: the simple pleasure of an afternoon nap as the history teacher droned on; the brief, albeit savory delight of a stolen morsel of food; the guilty, yet irresistible enchantment of the opposite sex for a boy of Ranma's age. Yes, these things, and many others, occupied untold hours of Ranma Saotome's day. Yet time and time again Ranma found himself drawn back to the dojo, back to the siren's song of the win. When the mood took him, which was quite often, Ranma could train until his muscles burned and his bones ached, all in pursuit of that fleeting, ephemeral goal: victory!

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Eleven: If you like Piña Colada

*********

"I give up. Let me go!" Ranma laughed, on his belly, pounding the ground in mock pain.

The boy sitting on top of Ranma, though, was relentless as he tightened his grip on Ranma's leg, "Only if you give me your dojo's sign!"

"Never!" Ranma cried. And just as it seemed that Ranma would be defeated once and for all, he managed to break the boy's grasp. With lightning speed, and surprising gentleness, Ranma slipped out from the hold and caught his opponent in a bear hug. "Ha ha! Now the tables are turned!"

The boy wiggled and kicked furiously, but finding no purchase, eventually conceded, "Aw, no fair Sensei."

"When does fair have anything to do with fighting?" Ranma asked, setting the boy down and ruffling his hair. Ranma stood and clapped his hands. "Alright class, everyone line up!"

The dozen or so young students in the dojo reluctantly stopped their own wrestling and stood up. Off in the corner, Ranma sighted a pair of particularly zealous combatants who had not heeded their Sensei's call. He had to step over to the diehards and, as they continued to wrestle, separate them bodily. As Ranma directed the two miscreants back to the center of the dojo, the rest of the children assembled themselves into a rough row. The students looked on expectantly as Ranma paced up and down the line.

"Everyone did a great job today! I am very proud of you for working so hard. Now remember, when you go back to your homes, be polite and respectful. It's only in the dojo where anything goes. Class dismissed."

As the children applauded the end of class, Akane and Nabiki clapped along. The two sisters both started to push themselves up from where they had been sitting against the wall, but as they did, Ranma waved them away. He stepped over to the students he had separated before and took them both aside. The rest of the children, sensing a lecture about to be delivered, broke and ran for the locker room.

"Uh oh," Nabiki whispered to Akane, giggling, "Somebody's in trouble with Sensei."

"Be nice, Nabiki." Akane replied, swatting her sister, "Ranma will handle those two just fine. He's actually a pretty good teacher."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's really been doing a great job."

"That sounds a lot better than the advanced class. No more stabbings, right?"

"Well, there's no love loss there, but I think everyone will come around in a bit. Ayaka might take a little longer."

Akane turned from Nabiki to face Ranma as he walked over. The two students he had just admonished were running to join their friends in the locker room. Akane noticed that neither one looked very contrite. But still, she had to give credit where credit was due: Ranma was fitting himself into the teaching schedule and it made the work load easier for everyone with both parents gone.

"Hey Sensei." Nabiki laughed, punching Ranma in the arm playfully.

"Hey guys. I guess that's about it for today, huh?" Ranma said.

"Well, there is the little matter of a sparring match," said Akane, smiling and cracking her knuckles.

"Aw, no way. Your mom is going to kill me if she comes back from vacation and my ribs are still broken. I have got to heal up."

"Well, we've got to get in some practice. Nabiki is getting really slow," Akane said, throwing her arm around her sister's waist and grinning.

Nabiki playfully shoved Akane away, "Slow? I am going to beat that smile off of your face in about a second."

"Ok, sis. I'll give you a handicap." Akane slipped her right hand behind her back and tucked it through her belt. "Southpaw only."

"You're gonna regret that." said Nabiki without any real malice in her voice.

"I'll sit this one out," Ranma offered, but there was no one to listen. The two sisters were already in the middle of the dojo warming up.

Ranma stayed to escort the students around Akane and Nabiki as they sparred. As Ranma watched the two Tendo sisters move back and forth across the dojo, something occurred to him. After the last student had been delivered to her waiting mother, Ranma ran inside the house and up to his room. Once back in the dojo, Ranma slipped on the red jade sunglasses and watched as the fight continued. With the distraction of sight removed, Akane and Nabiki lit up like Christmas trees. Almost literally, Ranma thought as he watched the two collections of lights wheel across the dojo. It was easy at this point for Ranma to see the flow of chi within a person's body, but was searching for something more subtle. He tried to block out the meridians of the two girls, but it was very difficult; Akane's blue and gold aura flashed brilliantly across the floor, only to be met by Nabiki's more subdued, and more balanced, colors. However, as Ranma watched intently, something more understated began to reveal itself: between the two girls stretched a mesh of constantly shifting threads. From one heartbeat to the next ephemeral filaments rearranged themselves, almost too quickly to be noticed. Ranma watched, mesmerized by the strings that bent between the girls. As he did, something else became clear: Akane, for all her self-possessed technique, seemed to be ignoring the flow of chi between herself and Nabiki, almost fighting it.

Ranma's observation came to a screeching halt as Nabiki sidestepped one of Akane's attacks and lashed out with her foot. Akane took a hard hit on her undefended right and slid across the dojo floor, right into Ranma's lap.

"Akane, you should at least buy him dinner first," Nabiki giggled.

In a flash, Akane was off of Ranma's lap and kneeling across the doorway from him. Both blushed furiously and tried to deny any wrongdoing. Nabiki, filled with delicious self-confidence from her victory, walked between the stammering teens and out of the dojo door. Just before she was out of sight, Nabiki called back over her shoulder, "I told you that you'd regret it."

*********

Inside the house, Ranma sat down at the living room table for dinner. Even through the Tendo family was gone, Nabiki most recently to her cram class, Ranma took his usual position facing out into the yard. He looked up as Akane pushed aside the curtains and entered the room from the kitchen. She was holding a steaming ceramic bowl with a pair of blue ducky pot holders. After setting down the food in the center of the table, Akane took her typical place shoulder to shoulder with Ranma. She served Ranma a heaping dollop and then gave herself an equal portion. After removing the potholders from her hands, Akane indicated that they should begin.

"What did you call this?" Ranma asked, picking at his food with chopsticks.

"Kraft Cheese and Macaroni." Akane said, levering a bite up to her mouth. The cheesy packets had left an orange residue on Akane's fingers during the cooking and soon her mouth was colored an identical shade.

Ranma was still unconvinced. "What are the green things? And the pink things?"

Akane scowled and set down her chopsticks, "Peas and cut up hotdogs. It's one of my mother's American specialties. Eat."

Ranma speared an inoffensive looking hotdog bit and scooped up a morsel of the small, slimy and ever so orange noodles. With a trembling hand, he placed the bite on his tongue, bit down, chewed for a moment then swallowed. Ranma carefully wiped his mouth with the napkin and considered his words. "It's, ah…not bad."

"Really?" Akane said happily, "Oh, if you like this, there are so many dishes I could do. I'll have to make you my famous stir fry. It's got capers and peanut butter and gorgonzola cheese. Mom won't let me cook it in the house, but I'm sure that you'll love it."

"Mmmkay," Ranma mumbled through another bite, but inwardly he winced.

The two teenagers sat in comfortable silence for a while, chewing and enjoying the view through the open screen out into the back yard. It was a cool fall evening, not cold enough to be considered crisp, but still nice. The trees, deprived of the summer's warmth, had begun the change to their fall colors in earnest. Even though clouds covered the moon, the light from the street lamps outside peeked over the back yard wall and illuminated the koi pond. As Ranma finished up his food, he could see rain drops starting to fall on the pond, sending little ripples chasing out across the surface of the water.

"Akane?" Ranma began, "Can I ask you a question?"

Akane took a sip from her water, "Sure."

"Why did you let Nabiki win today?"

"What? Ranma I would never…" but even as Akane began a vehement denial, Ranma could see that her heart wasn't in it. Her arguments were already crumbling under the weight of their own dishonesty.

"I saw the fight, Akane. There's no way Nabiki could land a hit on you, even with your handicap."

Akane stopped protesting and sat silently for a moment, her hands wrapped around her cup, staring out at the rain that was now falling, "Honestly? I did it because I miss Nabiki. We used to train together all the time. Every day. I would never say this to her, but I was even a little glad when Kuno started picking on her because we got to spend so much time together in the dojo. And now, she's at cram class all the time and soon she'll be going off to college. Heck, she doesn't even have to fight the boys anymore. Why should she train? I just wanted to, I dunno, give her a thrill. I hoped it would get her back into the dojo."

As Akane stopped, Ranma thought about what she had said, "It's tough, losing a training partner like that. I know."

Akane turned to look at Ranma, "Yeah, of course you do. So what do I do now?"

"That's a hard one. Maybe you should look at losing Nabiki as a partner kind of like a training trip. You get yourself out of the place where you're comfortable and you get better. You do it for the art."

"But I don't want to leave Nabiki behind. Everyone comes back home, Ranma. At some point, you have to, right?"

Ranma looked back at Akane. The light from the street reflected off of the rain and burnished her hair a dark copper, but her eyes were still in shadows. "I dunno. I guess you just go and hope everyone is still there when you get back."

Akane nodded, turning her face away from Ranma and looking out at the koi pond.

*********

4:36AM is not a time known for its excitement. Babies have a fondness for that time of night, especially when it concerns fussing and screaming, but their bleary eyed parents generally manage to keep things low key. Bars may do a brisk business after midnight by and large, but most of their remaining patrons can be counted on, though, to keep their cool as they struggle to find a one-night stand at last call. Things generally pick up at the few emergency rooms around Nerinma when the crazies hit the streets, but again, ER docs are in the business of quashing chaos, not creating more. The middle of the night is a time for sleep, a time for late night soul searching and a time for infomercials. Unfortunately for Ranma Saotome, 4:36AM is also a good time for vengeance.

"Wake up Ranma. It's me—Ryoga."

Ryoga stood up in Ranma's room, poised above his enemy's sleeping form. It had been a simple task to break into the Tendo home. Well, not exactly simple. The house itself had provided a challenge, but Ryoga had managed to navigate to Ranma's room at long last. But now, here Ryoga was, poised on the brink of retribution and Ranma stubbornly refused to wake up. Ryoga nearly spat. It was so difficult to exact revenge in a satisfying manner when one's quarry was sleeping like an angel. A goofy, disheveled angel, but still.

"Fight me! Hey Ranma!" Ryoga began to get annoyed and cocked his fist back, "Hey, would you wake up!"

But as Ryoga's strike crashed down, Ranma mumbled and rolled to the side, deftly avoiding the blow. Ryoga found his fist imbedded in a drool soaked pillow. He curse and tried again, but Ranma's dream addled brain was still too quick, and Ryoga missed again.

"WAKE UP DAMMIT!"

Ranma snapped bolt upright in bed. He was rewarded with a fist across his jaw that sent him crashing through the window and out into the rain slick yard. As Ranma plummeted towards the pond, he caught a glimpse of Ryoga sailing out after him. Then the world went black momentarily.

"What the hell?" Ranma sputtered, coming to the surface of the pond.

Ryoga stood back holding his umbrella over his head. It was ideal to face Ranma as a woman; to let him know exactly the depths of suffering that Ryoga himself had undergone. Plus, Ryoga added silently, it would make the fight easier to deal with an opponent who had shorter legs and arms. Ranma was going down!

Ranma shoved an errant carp off of her stomach and stood up. "Ryoga! It's the middle of the night. What are you doing?"

"Silence! Does revenge know day or night?"

"Would you cut this out? You've got nothing to get revenge for!"

"I'll say one thing before I send you to hell." A sudden rumble of thunder punctuated Ryoga's words. In the eerie silence that followed, his voice grew soft and bitter. "When you ran out on our duel, I followed you, all the way to China!"

Another fork of lightening illuminated the yard, throwing Ryoga's face into harsh relief. Ranma stood dumbstruck, as if the flash had burned out his ability to think clearly. Why was Ryoga holding an umbrella? There was something here, something important: umbrella…China and rain and umbrella.

Ranma raised a hand to her mouth, "Don't tell me you went to the ground of accursed springs? And that you transform into something when you get wet?"

Ryoga's anger burned white hot, stoked by Ranma's causal ignorance. He couldn't take it anymore; Ranma would have to die! Ryoga launched himself into the air, "Silence! The time for talking is past!"

*********

Akane rolled over in bed and pushed herself up. What the hell was all that racket? She tried to throw the covers off, but there were none. They were balled up in the far corner of the room. At least nothing in the room was broken, Akane thought to herself, glancing around. A knock at the door caused Akane to look up.

"Hey Akane, you awake?" said Nabiki, poking her head in through the door.

"Yeah, did you hear that noise?"

"That's why I came in here. What do you think it is?"

"I dunno, let's go check it out."

*********

Outside, Ranma and Ryoga were locked in midair battle. They each struggled furiously, jockeying for any advantage. Ranma's ribs still ached, but he felt confident that he could take down Ryoga once he got close enough for a strike with the Apian Fist. It was just a matter of time.

A flickering of red light off to the side brought Ranma up short. Still cognizant of his enemy, Ranma leapt to safe distance and threw up his hands. "Stop Ryoga! Seriously, something's going on in the dojo."

Ryoga landed a few yards away from Ranma and glared at him. "No tricks. You won't delay my vengeance!"

"Ryoga shut up! I think the dojo's on fire."

Ryoga hazarded a quick glance off to the side and he saw that Ranma was right. There was thick black smoke pouring from the open door. And even through the rain, Ryoga could see tongues of flame licking the timbers within.

"So what?"

"There are people inside the house…" Just as Ranma began, a man stepped through the blaze and out of the dojo door. Ranma's jaw dropped open. It was no ordinary man! He was taller, by at least a foot than any man Ranma had ever seen and he was dressed in archaic armor that glowed red gold in the firelight. Unsure of what to do, Ranma ran over in front of the dojo, cutting the man off. Ranma noticed, off handedly, that Ryoga followed.

"Hey buddy, this ain't a public space."

Ranma nearly froze as the man's gaze raked over the yard. The giant's eyes were entirely black, deep and oily as tar, framed by a severely scarred face. His white hair hung limp, soaked by the rain. "Stay back, girl child."

"Yeah? Or else what?"

The giant stopped and stared down at Ranma. Without warning an armored boot lashed out, catching Ranma on the chin and sending her sprawling backwards. Ryoga stepped to the side as Ranma came to a rest in the mud next to him.

"You have the nicest friends," laughed Ryoga, looking down at Ranma's supine form. Ryoga could see blood and rain mixing together from the gash that had been opened up on the redhead's jaw.

"Just stay out of the way while I handle this ogre. I need…oh, shit!" Ranma's eyes went wide and she rolled away.

Ryoga's gaze snapped up to the sky and he gasped. The giant, despite his bulk, had leapt high into the air and was descending with a wicked looking sword drawn. Ryoga threw himself aside, but before the attack came there was a loud crash. Both Ranma and Ryoga turned back to look as the giant was knocked askew by a heavy iron weight. Unprepared as he was, the armored man crashed through the tall garden wall and landed in a pile of rubble.

"Who the hell are you?" Akane shouted from the porch, her arm still poised from throwing the weight. Both she and Nabiki were dressed in their pajamas, but Akane looked ready for battle none the less.

"Who dares?" the giant shouted from the rubble. Akane was shocked as the enormous man stood up and dusted himself off, apparently unharmed. The giant locked his black eyes onto Akane and Nabiki. "Ah, I see, the heirs. How convenient. I was planning on murdering you in your sleep, but I think this will send a much nicer message."

With that, the giant reached back into the leather satchel he had flung over his shoulder and withdrew a scroll case. Akane immediately recognized the markings on the holder. It was one of the iron and bone cases her father used when he went on a trip. She started to say something, but stopped as the giant withdrew the scroll and unceremoniously tore it in half. With almost casual disdain, he flung the tatters down into the yard. Without another word, the giant leapt up and away, disappearing into the rainy night.

*********

Everyone moved to follow the giant, but as they did, a sound like the buzzing of a thousand wasps filled the yard. All eyes were drawn to the source of the sound, the remains of the scroll. As if by some unseen force, the damp remnants began to tear themselves into hundreds and hundreds of tiny pieces. As the pieces shredded themselves furiously, the sound grew louder and louder until all the teens were covering their ears. The swirling, chaotic maelstrom in the center of the yard spasmed outward and then suddenly coalesced.

In place of the torn paper stood a monster of nightmarish dimensions. The form of a fiendish hyena had been melded unnaturally with the wings and talons of a vulture. Weird, alien antennae extended out from around the creature's head, sampling the air with maleficent intent. The stench of carrion poured out into the yard as it opened its fangs and let out a brutal, grunting laugh.

"What the hell is that thing?" Ryoga demanded, turning towards Ranma and Akane. He noticed that the other girl, presumably Akane's sister, turn in fear and run back into the house.

"I dunno. Akane?"

"I have no idea." Akane said, her voice betraying more than a little of the terror she was feeling. She hardly noticed Nabiki slip back through the screen door inside. "I think maybe we should…Oh god, Ryoga look out!"

Ryoga's head whipped around as the beast charged forward, its' incredible speed belying its bulk. Ryoga, though, was a consummate warrior and he had time to toss off a few of his bandannas before the monster smashed into him, sending him slamming in to the wall. Ryoga's umbrella glanced off the wall and came to rest over him, covering his body from the rain.

Ranma was still unsure what to do, but the violence that unfolded before him crystallized his thinking. In a split second, Ranma was airborne, corkscrewing his body around and smashing into the monster. As he landed, Ranma ducked a wicked claw swipe and sent his hand slashing forward. One of the antennas on the beast's head snapped off and black, ichorish fluid poured out from the wound. Ranma yelped and threw himself backwards to avoid being sprayed. The creature howled in pain and leapt forward, knocking Ranma down. Sharp claws dug into the ground around Ranma's hands and he found himself pinned.

The reek of rotting flesh and worse assaulted Ranma as the beast leaned down and opened it's horrible, slavering jaws just above his throat. Up close, Ranma could see that patches of fur and feathers were sloughing off of the creature, only to be replaced by a hideous whitish fungus. The beast's eyes still shown with malign intelligence as it barked out another laugh.

"Come on nasty! Do your worst!" Ranma shouted up defiantly.

The beast drew back its head for the fatal blow, but then suddenly tensed as Akane landed astride its shoulders. Without any hesitation, Akane shouted 'Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken' and let her fists fly. The beast roared with defiance and reared back, flapping its wings and whipping its head around, trying to reach the attacker. Ranma, now freed, vaulted to his feet and shoulder checked the creature's exposed underbelly, tipping it backwards.

As the monster crashed down, Akane kicked off its neck to safety. Ranma, for his part, backed away quickly and ran over to the place where Ryoga had fallen, still keeping an eye on the fiend. Reaching down, Ranma began to move the umbrella to the side but then stopped. Ranma realized that he had no idea what Ryoga actually transformed into and now was not the time to find out. Instead, Ranma squeezed her petite form under the umbrella and found that Ryoga was unconscious.

"WAKE UP DAMMIT!" Ranma shouted, slapping Ryoga across the face and paying him back for earlier in the evening.

"What the hell?" Ryoga's eyes snapped open and he found himself face to face with a soggy red head. As Ryoga started to get up he felt a restraining hand on his chest.

"It's still a bit damp out, if you catch my meaning." Ranma said, slipping back out from under the umbrella.

As Ryoga and Ranma stood, they found that Akane was trying to take on the monster single handedly. With nearly superhuman speed, Akane was dodging around tooth and claw, slipping into range and landing a barrage of strikes. The beast snapped its jaws, nearly severing Akane's arm, but she was too quick. Still, it seemed like an even battle. The monster couldn't catch Akane, but her blows seemed to have almost no effect. Just as Ranma and Ryoga made a move to rejoin the fight, Akane slipped on the wet grass and the beast lashed out with its cruel talons, shredding the night shirt around Akane's legs.

In a heartbeat, Ranma was next to Akane, scooping her up and leaping back to safety just as the monster struck again. As Ranma landed next to Ryoga, she looked down at Akane's wounds. There were three parallel scratches running across Akane's upper leg; one of them was wet with blood. Suddenly, Ranma became acutely aware that her right hand was gripping Akane's bare thigh. Ranma blushed profusely and set Akane down. None of the three teens noticed Nabiki slip out of the house in a wet blanket and run full on into the blazing dojo.

The hyena monster paused to lick the blood off of its talons and giggle horribly.

"We need a plan," Ryoga said glancing from the monster to the two girls.

"I don't know, the thing is so fast and it seems like it's impervious to damage," observed Akane, still keeping an eye on the monster.

"I think I could use the Apian fist on it," Ranma said, peering through the rain. "Oh, god, that looks so gross. Its chi meridians look like, uh, like worms are eating it from the inside out. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Pull it together girly," Ryoga said with distain. "Can you hurt it?"

Ranma swallowed down her rising gorge. "Yeah, I think I could."

"Good, then you'll need a distraction. Come here." Akane said as she beckoned both Ranma and Ryoga closer. "Here's what we'll do…"

*********

Akane, still unsure about whether or not her plan would work, swallowed and grabbed onto Ryoga's hand. She summoned up her remaining courage and shouted, "Hey ugly! Come and get it!"

The monster's head snapped to attention just as Ryoga gripped both of Akane's hands and pivoted in a full circle, hurling Akane like a one-handed Olympic hammer. Akane spun in midair so that she was driving head-on into the creature's waiting jaws. But Akane had no intention of becoming a hyena snack. In the split second before she was torn to ribbons, Akane lashed out with both of her hands, driving her ridged fingers into the monster's eyes. At the exact same time, dozens of Ryoga's bandannas sliced through fur and feathers, spraying torrents of black blood. The damage inflicted by the bandannas confused the creature and allowed Akane to leap to safety.

The monster roared in terrible pain and Ranma choose that moment to attack from behind. His claws flashed with deadly precision, striking point after point. On the surface, there were no injuries, but Ranma could see the terrible damage he was wreaking beneath the skin. The monster twisted and writhed as one after another dark meridian was severed at the root. It tried to lash out at its attacker, but blind and wounded as it was, Ranma was able to dissect it quickly and precisely. As Ranma finished, Ryoga walked over and calmly withdrew his belt, snapping it out to rigidity.

"I always get my vengeance." Ryoga said, looking at Ranma as he sliced through muscle and bone, decapitating the monster.

As Akane joined Ranma and Ryoga, all three teens stood over the creature's body, unsure of what to do. This was no nightmare; the rain soaking into the beast's horrific hide brought home the reality of the thing they had faced. There would be no waking up.

Akane spoke first. "Should we burn it?"

"In this weather?" Ryoga asked.

"Maybe we should call your parents?" Ranma asked, nudging the body with his foot.

"Nice thought, Saotome, but you're a little late." Nabiki panted as she arrived. She was still wrapped in a damp blanked, but her face and hands were covered in soot. "Kick that head over here, would you Ryoga? And then bring the umbrella."

"Um, sure." Ryoga said, rolling the hyena head with his foot like a misshapen soccer ball.

As Ryoga brought the head over, Nabiki crouched down under his umbrella so that she was right over the body. "Ugh, god this thing stinks. Just a little closer. Make the head touch. Now, Daddy said the scroll has to be on the fatal wound."

As the head squished up against the severed stump of the neck, Nabiki withdrew a long, blank piece of paper from the blanket and pulled it open. She placed the scroll down so that it covered the place where the flesh was ragged and torn. Blood began to soak through the paper. After a few heart beats, the monster began to grow insubstantial and dark, like thick smoke. Rather than dispersing, though, the black smoke flowed onto the scroll and condensed down into arcane runes. Even the blood that had sprayed onto Akane's night gown and into the yard ran onto the scroll. Soon, there was nothing left but a few piece of torn up turf to indicate that anything amiss had happed in the Tendo's yard.

Nabiki stood up and wound the scroll firmly. After she had it safely tucked under her arm, she pulled the blanked tighter around herself. "Let's go inside. Daddy is probably still on the phone. We need to talk to him."

*********

Author's notes:

Didn't see that one coming, did you? I have been planning this little twist for a while and it was a blast to finally write it. This is the point where this story will break from the cannon's plot in a serious way. I really hope you liked it and there will be more to come. Cheers!

Always remember to take it easy!

C+C welcome and appreciated.


	12. Let's go to the mall

Soun Tendo loved a Mai Tai. Sure, he was a tough man, he could shatter concrete and bend steel with his bare hands after all, but that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy a fruity drink. There was something about the rum and orange Curacao that blended so nicely with the lime and the sweet almond of the orgeat syrup. The mint sprig and the tiny umbrella were merely icing on the cake, so to speak. Just as Soun began his first cup of the day, he looked up from his beach chair and saw Kimiko stepping out of the ocean's froth. She wasn't a young woman anymore, he noticed, but the years had done nothing to diminish her beauty. Kimiko had kept in shape and she still had more than her fair share of curves. The bikini that had been purchased at the hotel gift shop certainly helped matters along, as well. There just nothing as fine, Soun thought to himself, as sitting out on a white sand beach, Mai tai in hand, watching his wife towel off in the morning light. Of course, the piece of lingerie Kimiko had packed along on the trip was running a close second, but why quibble? Soun sighed contentedly and slid back down onto his beach chair, closing his eyes.

A shadow fell across Soun's face. "Phone for you sir. It's one of your daughters. You can take it in the lobby."

*********

Bill presents:

Ranma ½, A Man's Woman

Part Twelve: Let's go to the mall

*********

"Slow down, slow down Nabiki."

"Fine, but Daddy, this is serious," Nabiki said, trying to sound calm, but there was a still a sliver of fear in her voice.

"Just start over. Someone is robbing the house?"

"No, not someone: a giant, easily two and a half meters tall. He had on armor and, oh god, his eyes. Daddy, his eyes were so black."

Soun's blood ran cold. "Are you sure?"

"No Daddy, I think maybe he could have been a green-eyed midget in a tutu. Of course I'm sure!"

"Listen to me right now, Nabiki, I want you to get everyone out of the house and run!" Soun rubbed his temples and his hand came away soaked in cold sweat.

"No can do Daddy. The others are fighting this kind of…hyena thing. It came out of a scroll that the giant guy threw right before he left."

"Let me see if I have this straight: Antares is gone but he set a carrion demon on the loose?"

"I don't know about Antares or a carrion demon, but yeah, the giant ran away and Akane, Ranma and that guy Ryoga are beating up on some sort of dog-bird-monster."

"Nabiki, grab them and just go. Run away as fast as you can." Soun's stomach was twisting itself into knots.

"I…I don't think they'll go. Ranma is really kicking the crap out of this thing. Oh, nice shot Akane!" Nabiki yelled out.

"They might just win," Soun said away from the receiver. Could they kill the carrion demon? If Akane and Ranma fought together, they were very good. They just might, Soun thought, daring himself to believe. "Nabiki, if they kill the demon then there's something that you will have to do. You will have to bind it, Nabiki. Go into the dojo and get one of my scrolls. The one you want is in my private vault in the case on the left, third row down. It will be blank."

"Daddy, I can't. The dojo is on fire. Those scrolls are gone"

Soun could feel his daughter's fear through the phone. But he also knew that he had trained her well and she was a brave young woman in her own right. He could count on her. "Nabiki, listen to me. My vault is warded against fire, it won't be burning. The demon will keep coming back again and again until it's bound. You have to be brave."

There was a long pause at the end of the line as Nabiki considered what her father had said. "Ok, Daddy, I'll go. Tell me what to do."

"Once Akane and Ranma have killed the monster, you have to place the scroll on the fatal wound. It won't do any good unless you put it on the exact spot where the demon was killed."

"Fine. Listen Daddy, stay on the line. You've got some questions to answer after this is done.

*********

Soun paced the rich Oriental rug in the hotel lobby as far as the telephone cord would let him. The staff were polite enough to give him ample space and tactful enough not to whisper behind his back. Nary a day went by that they didn't get to see an irate Japanese businessman in Bermuda shorts speaking harshly into the phone. Besides, most of the workers only spoke enough Japanese to understand a request for clean towels. The concierge, who was fluent, was listening with half an ear, but just assumed that Soun was some sort of movie executive and she made a mental note to get one of his films for the hotel library. They sounded exciting.

Where the hell was that girl? Soun wondered to himself. It was taking too long. The demon must have been too strong for the children. Maybe Antares had returned? Oh god, they would be killed!

Just as Soun was about to set down the receiver and dash to the airport, he heard a voice on the receiver, "Daddy?"

"Akane, is the demon gone?" Soun asked anxiously, willing it to be so.

"Yeah, that scroll Nabiki had did the trick. What the hell was that thing?" Akane sounded out of breath, but strangely thrilled.

"That was a carrion demon; really more of a foot soldier than a true demon. It's gone now, but you and Nabiki, Ranma and your friend need to leave the house."

"Why? I mean if it's gone…"

Now that the crisis had past, Soun felt his paternal sternness reemerging. "Listen to me, young lady. The man who was just there, Antares, is a killer. He would slaughter the four of you and laugh like a child while he was doing it. You have to go somewhere safe right now."

"Alright, we will Daddy, but who was he?"

Soun held his breath for a moment. His mind reeled back to his younger days, to scenes of horror and desecration too brutal to talk about. There were so many things to say, so much blood and anger to explain. Akane wasn't ready for that yet. "He is an old enemy of mine. I thought he was dead."

"He looked pretty alive to me. What made you think he was dead?"

"Because I killed him." Soun paused and listened to his daughter breathing on the other end of the line. "Akane, listen to me, I promise that I'll explain everything when I get back. Now, grab a few things from the house and go to the abandoned strip mall. You know, the one a mile or so north of our house."

Akane's voice sounded small when she spoke again, "Sure, sure thing Daddy. What's at the mall?"

When Soun answered, it sounded like a curse, "Genma Saotome."

*********

Genma Saotome didn't understand the world. People made nonsense decisions constantly. They cared about things that really didn't matter. Take this mall, for example: it was built for the express purpose of selling trash to morons. Then, when the morons didn't buy enough worthless trash, they closed the place down. And now this mall, with its empty shoe stores and its barren food court, was a vacant husk. But still, people cared about whether or not a single man slept among the world's garbage. There were real problems out there. Why stress over one martial artist sleeping in a building that no one else even wanted? Didn't the cops have anything better to do? They had come a few days ago and now they were apparently back again. But that was how the world worked, Genma thought to himself bitterly as he hid up in the rafters, out of sight.

"Pops is not going to be creeping around the Dress Barn. He's got more honor than that," a young girl said. Genma knew that voice. It was slightly higher than the voice he had come to know over a decade and a half, but even after the curse, it was unmistakable. Ranma had come to find him! Still, Genma reminded himself, the boy had chosen to stay with the Tendos. Moreover, he was obviously talking to someone else. Better to stay concealed and see how things played out.

"Look, my Dad said he was here. We just need to keep searching."

That would be Akane, Genma thought.

"I don't have to put up with this! I demand my revenge," an unfamiliar young male voice added.

"Ryoga, if you say that one more time, I am going to let go of your hand and then we'll see exactly who has what sort of revenge."

Ah, the middle daughter. This was quite a crew, Genma said silently to himself while maneuvering around the darkened ceiling for a better view. They would be passing directly beneath him any second now. Unfortunately, as Genma looked down, he could plainly see his own worn out pack laying in the center of the abandoned department store. In his haste to dodge the cops, he had forgotten to stash everything in a safe place. The teens would obviously know he was here. Better make this look good, then.

Ranma arrived at the pack just a moment later and bent down to check it. "This is his. He was here, that's for sure. We should probably look for that tub of lard."

Genma dropped like a ghost behind all four teenagers and laughed noiselessly to himself. If this was how good Soun's training was, then Ranma was going to need some additional practice. "You're getting slopp…"

Genma's planned speech was cut short as three fists and one umbrella smashed into his body, sending him tumbling head over heels into a stack of discarded mannequin parts.

"What the hell are you doing Pops? Don't sneak up on us like that!" Ranma shouted once he recognized his father.

"You need to learn some respect for your elders," was the only reply from the pile of limbs and torsos.

"Pops, we ain't got time for this nonsense," said Ranma as he laid down his own pack next to his father's. The other three teens stood around looking vaguely uncomfortable as Ranma went to rescue his father, who was obviously stuck.

"Look boy, oof, watch that arm. No not mine! Gah, help me get this leg out of my jacket. I meant my own leg!"

As Ranma finally freed his father and pulled him to his feet, the two stood apart among the derelict makeup counters and trash, unsure of precisely what to do. The Saotome men weren't exactly huggers and a handshake seemed far too formal for this reunion. A high five was right out, let alone a fist bump. Then, by some strange coincidence, they arrived at exactly the same thought. Two exceptionally manly head nods were exchanged and they were back together again, father and son.

"What brings the heirs to the Anything Goes School here to the mall?" Genma asked, gesturing around.

"We're in big trouble Pops," Ranma began and then motioned everyone to sit down, "See, a giant guy came and he threw down this scroll. Like, this big demon came out of the paper and started attacking us and we killed it. So now we're here."

Genma crossed his arms over his chest and nodded sagely , "I understand."

Akane looked across the circle of people, between Ranma and his father. Was Mr. Saotome really going to just accept that two-sentence anecdote at face value, she thought to herself incredulously. "It didn't happen exactly like that…"

Akane began the story in earnest and, with a bit of help from Nabiki, was able to get most of the tale told in a few minutes. In the flickering fluorescent lights, the story seemed fantastic, even slightly ludicrous, but the girls barreled through. It had happened and Mr. Saotome needed to know what they were all facing. Genma, for his part as listener, simply sat with his arms folded. He asked no question, needed no clarification and barely reacted to the teens nearly being killed. Only the fact that Genma had his eyes open indicated in any way that he was awake.

"…after we hung up the telephone, we came straight here," Akane finished.

"Hmmm, just as Ranma said." Genma rumbled.

Nabiki rubbed her forehead with her knuckles. This whole conversation was going nowhere fast. Someone had to take the reins. "Yes, but do you actually know anything about this? Who is the giant, Antares? He called Akane and I the heirs, do you know what that means? Anything about demons would be helpful, anything at all."

"I've never heard of anyone by that name and you are the heirs to the Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling as far as I know." Genma scratched his chin and cast his mind back, searching for other clues. "This might be unrelated, but your Grandfather used to practice an art called Yao Mo Jiao. Demon wrestling. He was a stubborn old codger. Soun was always trying to get him to teach the both of us, but he refused. He said we lacked… what was the phrase? Moral rectitude. But after you girls were born, it seems that your grandfather relented and trained Soun. He was always writing me letters about what amazing techniques the old man had, but he would never say exactly what."

"Wow, I thought Grandpa only practiced Anything Goes," Akane said.

"Your father's father did. I was talking about Hayato Ito, your mother's father."

*********

"What do we do now?" Akane asked, looking back at Ranma as they both walked around the department store. She strolled past empty shelves and counter tops, all devoid of wares. This place must have done quite a brisk business when it was open, Akane remarked out loud. Even though years had gone by, she could still smell the lingering perfume that had been layered into the walls and carpets, sweet and musky.

"What can we do until your Dad gets back?" Ranma offered, catching up and walking on the opposite side of the counter from Akane. They had been gone for a few minutes and they couldn't see the others anymore.

"I don't know. I just feel like we've been sitting in this stupid mall forever."

"Yeah, Pops wasn't really any help. I think Nabiki was right. We need more info before we go charging off."

"You're advising me to be prudent?" Akane said, turning back to face Ranma, who had stopped to fish around in one of the display cabinets. "Things are really bad, aren't there?"

"Har har," Ranma deadpanned as his fingers closed around the prize he had been searching for. "Check this out."

Ranma held up a thin golden chain, a remnant of the mall's halcyon days. Dangling from the bottom Akane could see a pair of dolphins, caught in mid-leap, wrought in silver. Looking more closely, she noticed that each of the dolphins still had a chip of blue topaz for an eye. This wasn't just another piece of forgotten refuse; it was meant to be a gift, something to share joy. Akane placed her hand under the necklace and let the chain pool in her palm.

"It's pretty."

Ranma quickly let go of the chain as his fingertips brushed against Akane's hand. "You should, like, try it on."

"It doesn't really go with this outfit." Akane said, looking down at herself. In the rush to leave the house, she had only been able to find a ratty t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants to replace her night gown. Hardly an outfit that required jewelry.

"Don't be like that," Ranma said, looking expectantly at Akane.

"Like what?" Akane shot back, suddenly defensive, "If I don't want to wear it, I don't have to."

Ranma stuck out his hand. "Fine, then give it back."

"No. You gave it to me."

"But you don't want to wear it," Ranma said, his frustration evident in his voice. Why did she have to be so unreasonable? As Ranma stared at angrily at Akane, his vision began to shift almost involuntarily. Without warning, the thin strands of chi that were stretching between the two of them stood out in sharp relief. Akane was leaving so many openings, Ranma thought to himself. Slowly, like a cat sighting a particularly dim-witted mouse, a predatory gleam began to shine in Ranma's eyes, "I'll tell you what, we've got some time. Why don't we spar for it?"

"You want to wear it?"

"No, tomboy. If you win, you can do whatever you want with it. But if I win, you have to wear it."

"What about your ribs?" Akane said, now unsure."And we are still being hunted by demons, right?"

Ranma stepped forward so that he was inches away from Akane. "Scared?"

Akane's face flushed at the challenge and the unexpected closeness. She brought up her hand and pushed Ranma back, "Yeah right. What are the rules, tough guy?"

Ranma looked around the derelict store, "Anything Goes. No one is going to miss this junk."

"Fine." Akane said and tucked the necklace protectively in her sweats.

*********

Ranma glanced at Akane. She was standing on the opposite side of the mall's main atrium, almost cocky in her Kempo stance. Layered over that, over the girl, the derelict couches and moldering carpets, was a sea of shifting colors. Ranma twitched in anticipation. This had to work or else he was sunk. Come on, Apian fist, Ranma chanted to himself, don't fail me now. As he concentrated, the Fung shui of the mall began to ripple to life. Electric blues and deep crimsons wove in and out of the sitting area. The stores were a riot of colors flowing one way or the other, but none of them seemed to harmonize in any meaningful way. Ranma turned his gaze back to Akane and some of the threads that connected the two of them began to stand out, growing brighter and more interesting. Ranma felt an urge to chase down those bits of nothing, to bat at them with his claws, but he restrained himself. Akane had gotten even faster and it wouldn't pay to be anything less than perfect. This was it, a moment of truth: did he have the guts to trust some technique that he didn't even understand fully or should he just go for broke with what he had?

Akane watched with no small amount of amusement as Ranma bent forward and placed his hands on the ground. For someone of Ranma's flexibility, it was a fair impersonation, but what was he hoping to accomplish with that stance? Cats really weren't that intimidating. Just as Akane was ready to ask Ranma what he was playing at, he pounced. Akane's eyes grew wide and she threw herself to the side, out of the way of a vicious claw swipe. Ranma, though, was terribly fast. His fingers tore into the carpet as he passed, scrambling for purchase, and he was after her again. As Akane backpedaled, she threw dozens of punches, but Ranma leapt into the air over the strikes. Akane screamed as blue claws flashed downwards into her shoulders and the sleeves of her t-shirt tore away.

Ranma brought himself up short as Akane leapt up onto an empty cell phone display case and out of range. She looked down at him with genuine surprise as she tore the remnants of her sleeves away. Ranma swallowed and began to stand up from all fours, but then admonished himself. If this was how the threads of chi flowed, then by god, he would follow them. Besides, it was exhilarating. He had never been this fast, like his reflexes were running on oiled casters. Ranma had a feeling he was just getting warmed up.

Without anything in the way of acknowledgment, both combatants smashed back together, fighting tooth and nail. Beneath the giant overhead skylight, they tore at one another like savages. All injuries were forgotten, all bets aside. Their only thoughts were of the fight. In between one ragged breath and another they clashed, almost faster than the eye could follow, again and again.

Akane leapt high into the air and twirling her body around. It was time to stop playing around with kitty and end this. Ranma was already at the landing spot, springing upwards, just like she was counting on. Akane let go with a lightning barrage of kicks, raining down destruction. Her foot smashed down into Ranma's head, his arm and his clavicle as he leapt upwards to meet her. Akane smile savagely and flexed her knees for the landing, but suddenly she felt Ranma's fingers digging into her leg. In mid-air, Ranma had absorbed the impact and was, even now, clawing his way up Akane's body. Ranma dug his fingers into Akane's arms and head-butted her in the face. As Akane's head snapped backwards, she barely noticed the necklace drop from her pocket onto the floor.

Ranma landed awkwardly after the impact and leapt back to all fours. He noticed, in passing, that his fingers were bleeding. This stance was going to take a while to get used to. Still, he couldn't gainsay himself one little taunt, "Tired?"

Akane was breathing hard as she prodded her nose gently with her left hand. Her right arm hung limply at her side after Ranma's chi attack. "I just need a little cat nap."

"Not even a little funny..." Ranma began, but stopped as he noticed an abrupt shift in the chi currents around the both of them. His eyes darted upwards, chasing down the errant threads. "Akane get back!"

Akane didn't have time to react as the skylight exploded, raining deadly shards of glass down into the atrium. Only Ranma's body hitting hers, and throwing the both of them clear, saved her.

"Naughty children," Antares said as he lit in the center of the room.

*********

"You know, when someone sends a demon after you, you should at least have the good grace to die screaming."

Ranma rolled off of Akane to his feet and brushed the glass off of himself. Akane was a bit stunned, but at least she was unharmed. As Ranma moved protectively in front Akane, he could see the giant, Antares, standing menacingly in the center of the atrium. After what Soun Tendo had said, Ranma didn't dare take his eyes off of him. "You ok, Akane?"

Akane gathered her feet under herself and stood up behind Ranma. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "Can you do something about my arm? It's paralyzed."

"Yeah sure," Ranma said as he reached back without looking and pressed his fingers into Akane's wrist. Almost immediately the sensation of electric fire shot up Akane arm, but that feeling passed quickly and in its place she felt her strength return.

Antares seemed in no particular hurry to attack as he paced leisurely around the atrium. The echoes of his steel boots crushing glass shards sounded like bones breaking. His black eyes swept across the abandoned stores and potted plastic plants. "Why on earth would your father send you here? To be safe? To hide? To get fashion footwear at affordable prices? Really, all he did was give you an incredibly tacky place to be butchered."

"We ain't gonna die." Ranma said, a little more defiantly than he actually felt. "You'd better get out of here or Akane and I are going to have to, ya know, come after you."

"Oh my, my, my, is this what happened to that cute little redhead? No, don't tell me: you're one of the Jusenkyo cursed, aren't you? No matter, I know you children bound my carrion demon but you will find that I am so much more than that." There was a scrape like nails on a chalkboard as Antares withdrew his sword. It was wickedly sharp and there were places along the blade that looked crusted with blood.

Ranma could see the weave of chi shifting around Antares, coiling into a tight black vortex of malevolence. There weren't many openings in this guy's stance. It was going to go really badly for everyone unless he, Ranma did something about it. "I don't know how they do things down at the loony bin, but we like to give our names before we fight."

Antares' face split into a horrible rictus grin. "By all means, child, begin the introductions."

Akane seized Ranma's shoulder as he began to walk forward. "For god sakes, Ranma, we need to get out of here."

"Look, you go get the others and run. I've got this freak," Ranma said over his shoulder. He hopped his voice carried more nonchalance than he actually felt. Then shrugging Akane's hand off, he turned back to Antares, "I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling and if you threaten Akane again, you're a dead man."

*********

Author's notes:

Hey, the triumphant return of Genma Saotome! Plus, a little romance, a little cliff hanger, what more could you want? As for the R&A fight scene, this was not the full Neko-ken, not by a long shot. There will be more evolution and some tedious exposition. But no, Akane did not hold her own against the complete Neko-ken. There is also some bad news. I am starting up my clinical duties again next week. This will definitely slow down my writing schedule and I really have no idea how fast I'm going to be able to update. I will probably be able to get one more chapter out next week at the regular time and I will post when I have some idea about a new chapter schedule. Thanks for your patience.

Remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C welcome. The more the better, I always say!


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